Intelligence Gap
by nickyfullmetal
Summary: A lesson in the importance of reliable, comprehensive information regarding Shinra superiors. Mei learns it the hard way.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

**Honestly, I have no idea where I'm going with this story. **  
**I just want to write something light and inappropriate. **  
**Let the crack begin**.

**Chapter 1 - No Rest for the Wicked, No Sleep on the Weekend**

Mei was no stranger to disappointment, but it was downright devastating when she did not make it into SOLDIER. She practiced so hard, she studied for so long and in the end, she was rejected. Bad reaction to Mako, they said.

Being a girl, everything was much harder from the very beginning. Making up for her lesser physique, dealing with the constant mockery and tease from the guys, being truly lonely as she was the only girl among the trainees. And she failed in her last test.

It felt like her world was falling apart, her heart had broken and her dream was crushed. It felt awful, depressing, demotivating and totally like self pity. So she did the most reasonable thing to do, and joined the Turks.

She never regretted this decision.

She still had a lot to make up for, she still got plenty of teasing, she still had to work harder than the rest. She was still lonely, because being a Turk means trusting no one. But the rejection was replaced with a sense of belonging, and the bitter tang of failure was washed by the sweetness of successful accomplishments.

And damn, she could taste that sugary flavor right at that moment.

Mei smiled slightly as she squeezed the trigger, hands steady and aiming for her target. The secret was the smooth, controlled motion of pulling the trigger, and not jerking it. A hasty press would cost a high price of accuracy, not a price a Turk can allow himself to pay. Her finger moderately wrung the trigger, sending the last bullet on his way, to the heart of the target. Mei lowered her weapon, once it was unloaded and the chamber was checked, and engaged the safety. Even before she viewed the paper target, Mei had a satisfied smirk on her face.

She turned around to see Reno leaning against the wall, hands crossed over his chest, looking very much not amused.

"I think you owe me dinner." Mei said with a wide grin, shoving the practice results in his face.

Reno grabbed the paper target and angrily crumpled into a ball. "So eager to go on a date with me?" He replied acidly.

"I wouldn't call it a date though, we're going with Tseng." Mei informed him lightly, making her way out of the shooting practice ground.

"Tseng? Tseng?" Reno cried out after her, "Is this your idea of fun?"

Mei indulged in a long shower, enjoying the privacy of her own bathroom, and allowed herself to hum a cheerful tune. Outperforming Reno definitely contributed to her high spirits, and the rewarding feeling for long hours of practice washed over her, along with the hot water. She got dressed, not wearing her normal Turk suit for a change, instead choosing a casual jeans with a dark dress shirt.

It was quarter to eight and she made her way to the slums of Midgar, heading for the Wall Market pub. Naturally, Tseng was already there, probably after he checked, double checked and triple checked the place for anything suspicious. She greeted her commander just as Reno showed up.

Tseng averted his gaze from Reno to Mei. "You're an unlikely pair." He said curtly.

Mei smiled wolfishly. "Reno lost a bet, he is only here to pay my bill."

Tseng gave her a stern look. "The Turks look askew on gambling."

"Even something harmless as shooting competition?" Mei pouted, "There's nothing like a good challenge to increase ambitiousness and performance."

They walked inside and found a quiet table at the corner, when Tseng replied. "Ambition can be dangerous, if not deadly."

His remark made Mei shudder, and her mood darkened immediately. Reno noticed and engaged himself in the conversation."So what are we celebrating?"

Tseng's eyes never stopping to dart around the pub. "After Mei's last successful mission, the Shinra management discussed her status and decided to grant her with this." He said, pulling out a platinum card from his pocket and handing it to Mei.

"QMC+ card." Mei breathed out with appreciation.

"No fucking way!" Reno whined. "She's a total rookie. I'm a veteran, and I only got mine last year."

"Technically Mei is with Shinra since she is four years old." Tseng mentioned with the slightest trace of humor. "She's a Turk for five years, and has been in the infantry before."

"Five years..." Reno mumbled, staring dully into his palms. "Time flies."

The waitress attended them and they were forced to practically yell their order to be heard over the ruckus. Nearly every Turk that was not on duty was present, as well as some of the higher ranked SOLDIER men, and they were a noisy crowd. Mei even detected Strife, a young infantryman who was her sparing partner. He was no more than a private, and it was odd to see low ranks in the pub, but since he was friends with Second Class SOLDIER Fair, it was not as surprising. She gave him a tight smile and a nod when their eyes locked. He grinned in a goofy way.

"A bit young for you, don't you think?" Reno teased. Curse his Turk senses for noticing everything.

"I know him from the army." Mei said between bites, "You know I don't go for blondes anyway."

"And not for redheads either." Reno replied bitterly.

Tseng looked at her with a thoughtful gaze. "Strife. He's from Nibelheim."

It was a long time ago, that Mei had stopped being shocked by the infinite knowledge of her commander, and the ingenious connections he made between seemingly unrelated facts. But she was still very much impressed.

Reno looked puzzled between the two of them. "Nibelheim was my hometown, although I have no memory of it." Mei explained, her voice void of emotions.

Reno was about to speak when suddenly the noisy tavern turned alarmingly quiet. A tall man, with long silver hair and vibrant green eyes stood at the doorway. He was the general of SOLDIER, but even the Turks, not in his chain of command, nearly stood in attention. He was an entity of pure strength and authority and he was marching towards their tables.

It was common among females to faint when in close proximity to him, But Mei was above such silliness. Well, not exactly. Since the Turks kept tabs on every superior in Shinra, it was well known that the general have taken only male lovers, so Mei had no reason to fuss over him. She was quite intimated by him in the past, but after joining him on a mission and narrowly escaping death, her fear was replaced by respect. Perhaps some awe, because he was a phenomena.

The cat-like eyes swapped over Reno and Mei, and she doubted he remembered her. The general focused his gaze on their commander. His eyes were frighteningly intense, and the tension between the two was overwhelming. "Tseng, a moment of your time."

"Of course, Sephiroth." Tseng rose from his seat, retreating to an isolated corner with the general.

Mei watched them with great interest, as they were discussing something urgently but quietly, glancing back to the table repeatedly. She was fascinated with the interaction, that was always charged with so much suppressed emotions, between those two inhumanly imperturbable men. She had many wild theories regarding their emotional sediments, and some of them were downright filthy.

"This is awkward." Reno said, shifting in his chair uncomfortably.

"What? That Tseng and the general are so obviously discussing something that involves us?" Mei asked, with slight dread. Surely it could not be a good sign.

"That, and the fact that we are alone." Reno remarked with unease, "You have no idea how much you make men uncomfortable."

"Do tell." Mei deadpanned.

"You always have to best us, and revel in it. It is so ...emasculating." Reno retorted.

"Oh, so you would like your woman submissive and inferior." Mei stated flatly, giving him a loathing glare.

Before Reno had a chance to escalate the discussion to a verbally violent argument, a sickeningly cheerful voice was heard. "You look so somber, you could probably use a delightful company like mine!"

Mei did not even need to raise her eyes, she knew for certain the voice of Zack Fair. On an ordinary occasion she would chase him away with her bitchy attitude, but Strife was escorting him so she decided to hold back. The pair sat down at their table and Fair started talking about something, that she quickly and efficiently tuned out. Reno, however, was listening and even participating in the conversation, and so she was left to chat with Strife.

Mei was fond of him, as much a Turk was fond of anyone. She would kill him without a blink given the order, but until then she was enjoying his company. He was a few years younger than her, not even a man, but he was hard working and devoted and she appreciated it. Strife was also significantly talented in swordplay, especially considering his small size, and she had made tremendous progress while sparring with him.

Tseng was heading back their way, as the general made his way out of the pub. Mei was tense, sensing bad news. "Reno, Mei, you should head back. You go on mission in four hours." Tseng informed them.

"Seriously man?!" Reno groaned, throwing his hands in the air.

"Do you know me to make jokes?" Tseng raised an eyebrow, looking at Reno severely.

"No, but I have never seen the general set a foot in a pub either, so there's a first for everything." Reno said grumpily.

Tseng almost grinned, but Mei was not sure he was capable of actually smiling. "He asked for both of you specifically."

"What? Does he even know I exist?" Mei inquired with amusement.

"Of course he does. He reported to me after your mission, and graded your performance." Tseng replied casually.

"What did he say?" Mei asked with horror, her fingers digging nervously into her thighs.

Tseng furrowed his borrows for a few seconds, recalling the exact quote."Not a hysterical female – already outstanding. Stealth – excellent, combat skills – very good. Not sure if she can speak."

The whole table roared in laughter while Mei blushed slightly, shooting them death glares. "Very funny. You'd be wetting your pants too, if you shared a three hour ride with the general while he is sharpening his seven feet Katana and looking absolutely murderous."

"I'd definitely wet my pants if I saw our sexy general taking care of his long, hard shaft..." Reno joked, elbowing her in the ribs.

Mei groaned. Dealing with chauvinistic pigs on daily basis was rather exhausting. She did not dignify this provocation with an answer, allowing her to channel her attention to observation. Fair was borderline hysteric with laughter, acting like the dumb fuck she knew he was. Strife however, was extremely quiet, and violently blushing. Using the most basic defense tactics, she redirected the attack to the weakest link.

"What has gotten you so flushed, Strife? I didn't know you were a member of the general's fan club." Mei teased, grinning like a predator.

"You have no idea. Spiky nearly fainted when Sephiroth entered the pub." Fair blurted out before the private could defend himself. Strife shot the SOLDIER a murderous glare, but the older man was completely oblivious to that. "He absolutely worships him."

Mei looked curiously at Strife, waiting for his reaction. "He's a really inspiring figure. I see no shame in admiring him." Strife mumbled quietly, his cheeks still rosy.

"I see no shame in being gay." Reno pointed, smirking at Strife. Apparently he caught on the same thing Mei noticed.

"What are you implying?" Strife's embarrassment abruptly turned to anger, his body tensing and preparing for an battle.

Mei was quite certain Reno would rail him up enough to start a fight. Reno loved fights because their reminded him of that filthy neighborhood in sector 7 he called home.

"I'm going to leave you gentlemen to defend your sexuality with some very masculine, albeit homo-erotic, wrestle." Mei said flatly, standing up.

"Ohhhh." Fair cooed, sounding fairly drunk. "You're leaving so soon?"

Mei simply sneered at him like an A-grade bitch until all his cheerfulness evaporated. She turned her gaze to Reno. "Don't fuck with the country boy, he'll beat the shit out of your ugly freckled ass."

Mei left behind Reno's protests, Fair's sniggers and Strife's defiance. It was time to go back to her dorms and basket in three hours of rest, and have an one-girl pity fest over not sleeping a whole night for the past two weeks. She laid awake in bed, wondering what Tseng had planned for them. Reno and her rarely worked together, as their expertise were vastly different. True to his red-head fiery nature, Reno had a knack for explosives, and could cast Fire like no one else. Mei was assigned mainly for stealthy assassinations, and occasionally VIP protection.

Mei sighed deeply, recalling how she spent her last weekend securing the Shinra heir on his vacation. Naturally, the spoiled brat had chosen Costa del Sol, completely ignorant of how difficult it is to guard him in the crowded urban territory. It was damn hard trying to come up with ways to ensure his safety while he was sunbathing butt naked on a public beach, but Mei nearly puller her hair in frustration when the self-proclaimed Shinra prince demanded that the security should be subtle enough for him to feel unwatched.

Very much like the next mission, Rufus Shinra had requested her services specifically. 'Sick and tired of those sweaty, testosterone-dripping gorillas hulking out constantly', if she remembered his quote correctly. Mei inwardly sniggered at that comment, Rufus was as gay as they come, and she bet he would die to have a fat SOLDIER cock up his ass. She had no doubt Rufus did not ask for her because of he gender, but mostly it was the case. VIPs were ecstatic by the thought of having a female bodyguard.

There were a few other female Turks. Most of them much prettier than Mei, but all of them less capable in battle. Take Cissnei for example, who was gorgeous and had the naive charm that cracked the shield of the most guarded men, gaining their trust and stealing their secrets. But under attack, Cissnei was a burden more than anything since her cute Shuriken act was...cute, and nothing more. So while Tseng could not deny the request of a superior for a female Turk, he would never compromise his professional integrity by assigning an inept personnel. Thus, handing the task to Mei.

Motherfucking joy.

Her alarm clock displayed the hour in neon red digits, and Mei realized her bitching session consumed the better part of the three hours she had before heading for the debriefing room. Reluctantly, she dragged herself out of her bed, mentally preparing for long hours of putting up with Reno.

The universe definitely had a way of tormenting her.


	2. Chapter 2 - Nothing Good Can Last P1

**A/N: All recognizable characters are owned by FF&Co but the plot is mine.  
I go with the canon were it fits me, and I make up my own stuff the rest of the time. **

**This chapter was devastatingly long so I separated it to two parts. **

**Chapter 2 - Nothing Good Can Last, But Shit Goes Downright Horrid When Running into Zack Fair (Part 1)**

It started out as a good day. Mei had a decent night's sleep and woke up at the ridiculously late hour of eight, to eat a light breakfast and head to the gym. Her devotion to training was nearly religious, and no matter how busy was her mission schedule, she still manage to cram in some exercise. Running, weight lifting, hand-to-hand practice or sparring, Mei was set on keeping in top physical shape.

She lifted that day slightly more than she managed usually, and mentally patted herself on the shoulder. It felt good to push herself slightly beyond her limits, and establish new ones. It also felt good that Reno once again lost the bet. Poor lad is never going to learn.

Mei finished her workout and returned to her apartment to shower. She spent long moments looking at her naked body in the mirror, checking her abs from various angles. They were quite visible, although not as defined as the ones most of the SOLDIERs sported, and she was beginning to wonder if she gained weight. The thought was terrifying and she turned around to look at her ass, making sure it was not getting saggy.

It seemed quite alright, and the rest of her body was looking fit. Maybe it was her upcoming period that had her stomach feel bloated, but she still made a decision to stop pigging out with fellow Turks after missions. The amount of junk they could stuff into themselves was absurd. Mei put on her dark blue suit and marched to her office.

Mei was in the Shinra building ground floor and then suddenly she was literally on the floor.

Hurting.

Beneath Zack Fair.

He seemed very distracted and Mei assumed it was an accident, yet she decided to throw him off her with very little gentleness. He moaned when he found himself sliding down the wall of the corridor. Mei jumped to her feet, wiping the dust from her neat suit, and began to walk away.

"Hey, you're Cloud's friend!" Fair called from the floor.

Mei stopped walking and turned to him, "Yes?" She drawled.

"I need your help!" He stated with urgency. "Seph has been to Hojo's lab last night and he didn't show up to work, which is very unlike him. I went to his apartment and knocked on the door for hours but he didn't open up although I know he must be there. So I'm really worried about him and I need you to crack the code-lock to his room, you Turks can do it right?"

He said all of that incredibly fast, and truthfully Mei did not entirely get every detail. She isolated the important points though, someone was supposedly unwell and he wanted her to break into his room. Well, she could do that, but then, why should she?

"Why should I help you?" Mei asked coldly.

Fair looked at her for a moment like he did not understand her question. "Because you're nice?" He tried, hopeful.

"No."

"Because it would benefit Shinra?" He suggested, seeming somewhat lost.

"Take me to his room." Mei obliged. Damn her Turk loyalty.

Standing in front of the door, she quickly unscrewed the plastic cover of the code lock, and connected the inner wires with a small encoder she pulled from her pocket. It was standard Turk equipment, and a few seconds later a beep was heard and the door unlocked. Fair looked at her with awe, and she rolled her eyes and pushed the door open.

Nothing could prepare her to what she was about to see. Perhaps if she listened more carefully to Fair she would have caught the name 'Seph', and realized he was referring to Sephiroth, the general. But even then she would never expect to see him, nearly nude on the floor of his living room, his body bruised beyond recognition.

Mei heard Fair inhaled sharply beside her. She glanced at his direction, and the unease she was feeling was nowhere near the turbulence Fair was surely experiencing. Seeing your commander and idol in such state is beyond unnerving. Fair was paralyzed.

"Snap out of it, Fair." Mei said harshly, kneeling down to search for pulse. The general's vitals were weak, but steady. He tried to move when they entered the room, and she noticed all his limbs were responding. It seemed like he did not suffer from spinal cord injuries. "Help me carry him to his bed."

The general was unbelievably heavy. He was muscular, but entirely fat-free as far as she could see, and albeit his powerful built, he was not supposed to be that heavy. It was like his bones were made out of something else, more solid and durable and massive.

They got the general's limp body into his bed after a long struggle, and he gave out a pitiful whimper when his sore body made contact with the soft surface. Fair stared at her with torn eyes, refusing to look at his commander, his face paler than the moon.

"I'm...I'm going to ...to speak to Hojo." Fair stuttered. "Maybe he could tell us how to treat Seph." He added. "Could you keep an eye on him while I go to the labs?"

There was nothing Mei wanted less than being stuck in the general's bedroom, with his beaten half naked form. "Yeah, sure, whatever." She muttered, and Fair sprinted out of the room.

Mei eyed the general worryingly, some of his open wounds staining his neat sheets. She could not just let him lay in his blood, and so with a nervous exhale she went to search for first aid kit. She felt infinitely inconvenient rummaging through his personal belongings but pushed the thought to the very back of her mind and concentrated on the mission, treating the general as professionally as possible.

She located the biggest bruise just above his right hip, and cleaned around it before deciding it would need sutures. "Leave the dirty work for the Turks. So typically SOLDIER." She complained, disinfecting the needle.

She heard him cough, or maybe he chuckled, she could not tell. "So you can speak." His voice was hoarse and it made the hair on her nape stand.

"Apparently so." She said in a clipped voice, trying to stop her hands from shaking. "I'm going to try and stitch your wounds. Brace yourself."

He made no sound, nor motion, when she worked on his wound, and it allowed her to pretend he was not actually there. Her hands were steady and rich with experience, and she finished stitching in no more than a few moments. She sighed heavily when she was done, and proceeded to bandage him. Now that she did not require her concentration fully, she could not help but notice that he was watching her like a hawk. Which was perfectly normal, she reassured herself.

"You don't have to do this." He spoke again, and his wicked green eyes bored holes into hers.

Mei looked at him, insulted. "Of course I do. It is my duty and honor."

He narrowed his eyes at her and then his arm moved, at fast as lightening, holding her wrist, tightly. He looked at her as if searching for something. "You're enhanced." He declared.

"Not entirely." Mei said with a sad smile, "I was exposed to Mako at early age. There was a leak from the Mako reactor and it surfaced just where the kids used to play. Most of the children died from the exposure, I survived."

"This is why you were not accepted to SOLDIER. You react badly to treatment." The general stated.

"You read my file?" Mei inquired with an amused smile.

His face was blank and unreadable as always. "Perhaps."

She grinned to herself, and proceeded to treat him, scanning his broken frame once she took care of the major injuries. "Fair would cast Cure on you when he's back, I'm afraid I'm not very skilled in using Materia."

The general shook his head slightly. "These injuries can't be Cured with Materia, Hojo made sure of it." He spoke, pain laced in his voice. "If you wish to improve your skills in using Materia, I am certain we can find you a tutor."

Mei battled against her blush, and won, although not by much. She hardly believed she was having a casual conversation with the general of Shinra. "Thank you, general, for your gracious offer."

She cast a glance to his face, which was still bloody and swollen. She delayed it to the very end, because fixing his face was just too damn intimate. But it was inevitable. This was going to be so awkward.

He chuckled, it was definitely a chuckle this time, and she realized she had voiced her thoughts. Biting her lower lip with embarrassment and nervousness, she carefully tilted his head to the side so she could have better access. Mei wiped the dried blood with a moist cloth, lightly tapping his skin and avoiding inflicting more pain. He closed his eyes when she started working on his face, and without his fierce eyes it was one thing less to handle.

He looked absolutely horrible even after she cleaned him up, but there were still traces of his beauty beneath the swelling and discoloring. Suddenly when she had no purpose, no more wounds to treat or bandage, the stress was effecting her. She was sitting on his bloody bed! And he was inches away from her in his underwear!

Mei started to fidget anxiously, wanting to disappear when Fair reappeared, saving her from the overwhelming awkwardness. Oh, she knew that face he was making, and it meant bad news for her. Fair looked nervously at the general, and sensing the delicacy of the situation, Mei stood up and walked to the living room, where they hoped to discuss privately. It was rather unlikely, with the general's enhanced hearing.

Fair appeared as if he was going to faint; he was nearly gray, except for the rosy stains on his cheeks. He was panting too. "Hojo...Hojo was testing Seph's durability." Fair said in a cracked voice, "He deemed it insufficient. He had a theory about bonding metal alloy to one's skeleton in order to..." He trailed off, and his terror-stricken face spoken volumes about the true horrors of Hojo's latest experiment.

Mei was unnerved, and for a Turk to be unnerved is very unusual. She was having trouble registering that those atrocities were committed methodically within the organization she vowed to serve. Obviously, she knew Shinra was not a charity organization, and she knew they were practicing science on humans, but she did not imagine it was so brutal. Most Turks were not granted excess to the science department files, and generally were instructed to turn a blind eye on anything suspicious going on in the lab area. Mei glanced to the bedroom, where the abused general laid motionless. This was not some disposable test subject. Hojo was definitely walking on thin line.

"Accidents happen to people who experiment in such dangerous fields." Mei offered cryptically.

Fair's eyebrows were raised up to his hairline. "You can't do it. You're a Turk, you work for Shinra."

"I never said I would do anything." Mei grinned slyly. "As a Turk, I must ensure Shinra's best interest. And if say, Tseng, deems the general a greater asset to the company than Hojo, it is my duty to eliminate the threat."

"You seem to have experience in manipulating the management into killing people you don't like." Fair remarked warily.

"You should try to stay in my good graces then." Mei retorted coolly.

"I think I'm doing a poor job so far," Fair said, scratching his head, "I have some unpleasant news."

Mei sighed knowingly and motioned him with her hands to continue.

"The climax of the reaction would be tonight. The change in the molecular structure of his bones will cause him extreme pain." Fair's eyes darted towards the bedroom. "I'm off to a mission in one hour."

Fair looked at her pleadingly and she just glared at him in silence. "I would ask someone else, but Seph is a really proud person and I know he hates every second of being weak and dependent. I just...I don't want more people seeing him in this state."

No. No way this sort of emotional blackmail was going to work on her. Mei had already spent far too much time around the general and he was giving her the creeps just by existing. Seeing him hurting, vulnerable and helpless was surprisingly more disturbing than dealing him when he was well, oozing his usual aura of deadly power and cool wrath.

Sprawled on his bed, he looked so human. Mei wondered how many people have actually thought of him as a man, and not Shinra's war machine, how many imagined him doing mundane chores like cleaning, or folding his clothes or washing dishes. She knew she never did. Damn, she was surprised that he had an apartment. She figured between the office and the battlefield, he belonged in the armory. With all the other weapons.

And yet, she was not going to surrender to Fair's manipulations. Fair was just going to find someone else who would play nurse with the general.


	3. Chapter 3 - Nothing Good Can Last P2

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, I'm rather surprised to have any so soon. My stories tend to be severely under-reviewed. **  
**This starts exactly where the last part ended. **  
**It gets almost cute, but it's temporary. Sephiroth and Mei don't do cute (*crossing their arms over their chest, looking absolutely badass*).**

**Chapter 3 - Nothing Good Can Last, But Shit Goes Downright Horrid When Running into Zack Fair (Part 2)**

But the consequences.

The implications.

Her conspiracy-plagued, Turk mind was working on overdrive.

She could imagine the damage of rumors on the general's current state. The poster-boy of Shinra, abused and disabled by the company's scientist, relying on the mercy of others. No, this could not happen.

"Fine." Mei huffed, "I have things to take care of first, I will return in 30 minutes."

Fair's eyes lit with happiness and he seemed as if he was going to hug her. "Touch me and you're dead." She warned him, before leaving the apartment.

Mei hurried to her room, while dialing Tseng. It seemed as if he answered before she finished dialing.

"Mei reporting," She said formally, "I will be unavailable tonight due to personal reasons, and I would like to take a vacation tomorrow, if it is acceptable, sir."

"No vacation, Mei." Tseng replied flatly, and Mei screamed inwardly. "You are assigned to take care of the general as from this moment."

She did not bother to ask how he knew, Tseng just knew. Everything. Before it even happened. It was like the future was working for Tseng.

"I'm on it, sir." Mei confirmed, hanging off and quickly packing a bag for her night watch. Food, clothes, books. Calculating the walking distance between her dorms and the the general's apartment, she timed her actions perfectly, and 29 minutes after she had set her foot outside his living room, she returned.

"Wow you're punctual." Fair commented, checking his watch.

"Unlike some, the Turks are known to be expeditious." Mei drawled.

"I don't even know what that word means." Fair looked at her strangely. "I really have to go now."

"Then go." Mei motioned to the door.

"I'm trusting you with my commander and friend." Fair gave her a hard look.

Mei glared back, unfazed. "We Turks complete the mission. No matter what."

Fair nodded and left for the mission, and suddenly it was so quiet. Too quiet. She mentally prepared herself for what to come, and stepped into the general's bedroom. He laid still but his breathing indicated he was awake.

"Would you like some water?" Mei asked hesitantly, assuming he had consumed nothing since before the experiment. "You should probably eat too."

"Yes, I would like that." He said faintly, his voice was dry.

She went for the kitchen mumbling something containing the words 'Fair', 'Idiot' and 'Utterly incapable'. Mei returned with a large glass, a bottle of cool water and a massive pack of energy snacks she brought from her room when she packed.

He pulled himself up so he was half sitting, slouching against the headboard. She handed him a full glass, and he shakily brought it to his lips, emptying it within seconds. By the fourth glass, his thirst seemed to reduce. Mei pointed at the enormous pack of energy bars.

"That's a bit too much." He remarked, amused.

"Mako metabolism and all." Mei shrugged. "I brought my entire stock just in case."

Truth was, Mei practically lived off those snacks. With the crazy schedule of a Turk, regular meals were rear luxury. Mei assumed, that with the general's limited mobility and overall weakness, he would prefer food that was easy to consume.

"I'm not going to eat on your expanse." The general stated sternly.

Mei gaped at his twisted sense of honor. "I will provide you with my bank account details, so you can repay me." She handed him a bar, and reluctantly he took it.

Feeling too weird as she watched him eat, she decided to use the time more efficiently. "Would it be alright if I used your shower?" her eyes drifted to her suit that was tainted by his blood.

"According to Hojo, exposure to my blood shouldn't kill you. Immediately. " He joked, but it sounded so bitter, so self-loathing that Mei cringed slightly. He noticed her reaction, making his own conclusions of it and added dully. "Go ahead."

Mei gathered her towel and clean clothes and made her way to the bathroom, level of awkwardness increasing dramatically. It felt like invading private territory. She always assumed he had issues with his hair but damn, there were dozen different types of shampoos and conditioners.

Unsurprisingly, it was freakishly tidy, and she made a mental note to leave the place just as clean. She got undressed and then it hit her, that she was naked in the general's bathroom. Now that was an erotic thought. If his fan-club knew, they would be hunting her down.

She stepped under a stream of hot water, deciding to wash her hair after detecting dried blood on the tips. She picked a citric scented shampoo and a matching conditioner, and quickly rinsed her hair. Once feeling fresh, she dried up and got dressed, making sure she did not leave a stray hair or any other trail of her presence. She did her best to dry her hair, but it was pointless and she figured it would dry on his own, naturally unruly and untamed. She glanced at the mirror before stepping out, was her shorts always so short?

Stretching her oversized 'Shinra Academy' sweatshirt to cover as much of her as possible, she bravely stepped out of the bathroom. The general was staring at her boldly, chewing on one of her snacks lazily, and making her feel like a prey. Concentrating on breathing and putting one leg in front of the other, she made a safe escape to the living room, shoving her used clothes in her bag.

Returning to his room, she noticed that half of the pack was eaten, and the bottle of water was empty. She silently picked up the snack wraps, and the empty bottle, putting them in his thrash bin and placing a full bottle of water near his bed. Once again, it was time to face the awkwardness. "I assume you overheard my conversation with Fair."

"Correct." He affirmed.

"Then you surely know what is expecting you tonight." Mei said, slightly softer than she intended. "I don't know how such pain affects you, but to minimize the discomfort for the both of us, I suggest you use the facilities now."

Ok, so she just suggested that the general might shit himself out of pain. Mei waited morbidly for her execution. It never came. Instead, he gave her an appreciative gaze and made a move to sit up. His face twisted in agony and Mei nearly whimpered in his stead. She supported him when he tried to stand, and did he become heavier during those few hours?

She held him where there were no visible injuries, and he leaned some of his weight on her, while taking a few shaky steps. Hard muscles moved beneath her fingers, and if there was perfection in this cursed world, it was his body, even covered in dark bruises and open wounds. He was nearly nude, leaning against her and fuck, all she could think of was that he smelt unignorably awful. He was in a desperate need of a shower, but she was not going to volunteer. She was fully committed to her job, but those images of him naked would haunt her for the rest of her life. Mei valued her sanity, as questionable as it may be.

He pulled away from her when they reached the bathroom and supported himself against the counter, while she quickly exited, closing the door behind her. Unfitting thoughts filled her head. The great general Sephiroth was taking a shit just a few meters from her. He was human after all. If he was too weak to stand, did he take a piss sitting?

Her musing was cut short when the door opened, and she moved quickly to aid him seconds before he collapsed. The walk back to his bed was longer, and his burden considerably greater as he was weaker. She took extra caution in helping him lay back down, causing her to be intimately close to him. She heard him sniff her hair.

"Citric. Suits you." He declared, and she cocked a questioning eyebrow. "You're sour." He added.

Mei huffed. "You smell like a flock of rotten Bahamuts. Want me to analyze your character accordingly?"

Mei wondered when did she get this brave. This experience was certainly toughening her. Yet, she still feared for her life after that outburst.

He smirked devilishly at her, a row of perfectly sharp teeth exposed. "I prefer you when you are silent."

That granted him a graceless snort. "I'm going to read in the living room. If you need anything, don't hold back."

Reading was calming. Reading was a sanctuary. With her hectic job, she seldom had time to read. Finally, she had a night solely devoted to reading, and she could not focus longer than a few lines. Her mind kept drifting to the man lying in the bedroom, and the letters kept morphing into the shapes of his gushes and slices and scars. When she closed her eyes, trying to relax, all she could see was the poison green, almond shaped eyes with the disturbing slit pupils. But Mei was not the one to surrender, and she gathered all her focus, delving into the story.

It was slightly before midnight when she heard the softest cry. It was nearly inaudible, and she suspected her treacherous mind for playing tricks on her, but when she soundlessly entered his bedroom and saw his body shivering violently she knew this cry was very real. Emergency mode activated, Mei sprinted to the toilet, grabbing a bucket and placing it by his bed. Not a moment later, he pushed himself up on his elbows, emptying his stomach into the bucket.

He was burning up so hot that she could feel it all the way to the other side of the bed, and his body was glistening with sweat. He was curled on his side, fists clenched and his teeth biting his lower lips hard enough to make it bleed. His long, silver hair that was always so glamorous, was now a dirty gray mess, sticking to his moist back and face.

Mei sighed, taking a clean towel and soaking it in cold water. Carefully, she pressed it against his feverish skin, wiping his sweat, and tenderly the blood off his lower lip. His muscles were tense and she could hear his teeth grinding against each other. He was enduring such unimaginable suffer, and still he was trying to save face.

But then he broke, a new wave of torment washing over him, and low, feral growl escaped his lips. Helpless, Mei moved to sit on the bed behind him, gingerly placing her palm on his shoulder. His hand moved to cover hers, gripping it with force that threatened to crush her bones.

"Aren't you disgusted?" He said between shallow breaths, his voice raspy.

"No." Mei answered immediately, slightly surprised. Being a Turk she saw much worse than sick men. "Why should I be?"

"Because I'm a monster." Merely a whisper, but the amount of venom laced in those words, made them echo in the entire apartment.

How deft has she been, Fair was certainly rubbing off on her. As a Turk, Mei knew she must always be observant and analyzing, categorizing people by their weaknesses, strengths and motives. In his case, she realized how oblivious she was to his emotions, to the way he perceived himself. Hojo's lab rat. The Demon of Wutai. The most lauded success story of Shinra's experimental soldiers. Fuck, what a bag of complexes.

Merciful Gaia, she had lost feeling of her hand.

"We're all monsters." She said softly, and leaned to place a butterfly kiss on his shoulder. His breath hitched, like she kicked him in the ribs, and Mei asked herself what drove her to do such an idiotic move. Blame it all on Fair.

Suddenly, the grasp on her hand loosened. He let out a low, heartbreaking howl, his body shuddering, and Mei wanted to go straight down to Hojo's lab and feed him his own testicles. Then she would cut him open and let him bleed slowly. Then she would...

She would, but she could not leave the general alone. She felt a slight tug on her palm when he pulled her towards him, wrapping her arm around his waist. Mei followed his silent request, lying down beside him, her body pressed to his back. It was strange, but not entirely unfamiliar, since Mei had some experience with cuddling.

Although she could not remember it, she was certain she had her fair share of hugs and kisses from her mother, so gestures of affection came more naturally to her than some of the other Shinra raised kids. But it was rare for Mei to show compassion or actually comfort someone, and she was not quite sure what was expected from her. Her mind drifted to that day when she failed her Mako test, and to the way the man that was once her lover held her, while she wept hysterically. And so she mimicked the actions that made her anguish slightly duller.

Mei showered the general's shoulders and neck with featherlight kisses, caressing him tenderly, and he leaned back into her, savoring her touch. It was hours until the pain subdued, and he finally collapsed into sleep, completely drained from energy. Mei followed soon.

She woke up several hours later, feeling unusually sticky, to discover they were still all over each other. Somehow during the night their legs got entangled as well, and she was wrapped around the nearly nude general. If she ignored the circumstances, the sweat, and his god-awful stench, it felt pretty good. But a shower would feel even better, under current conditions.

She washed herself, trying to rid herself of his scent, before she got used to it. Relaxing under the pleasant water, she replayed in her mind one of the strangest days in her life. Her right palm, which the general crushed the night before, was looking rather nasty. This mission better earn her some serious Rank Points. She put on her Turk suit, assuming the gory part was already behind her, and returned to the bedroom.

"You're still here." He intoned. "You have a surprising amount of free time, for a Turk."

Well, he was certainly feeling better. "Actually, I'm on duty. Tseng assigned me to take care of you."

She regretted those words immediately. Something in his eyes darkened, and he said in a chilly voice. "I see."

"I called him to ask for a day off, so I could stay with you." Mei said honestly, "But Tseng already knew. I would have stayed regardless."

His eyes were hard and his expression doubting. "Why?"

Mei paused, thoughtful. "I'm not entirely sure. I had every intention of rejecting Fair's request but then..." Mei drifted off, honestly uncertain of her own motives. Was it solely for her professionalism and sense of responsibility, or was it something else? "You're a colleague, we're supposed to back each other up."

He remained silent, his eyes piercing, searching her soul. "I can't claim to have any sort of affection for you, if that's what you're asking." Mei pointed out, shifting uncomfortably, "Turks mostly don't do affection, and I don't even know you." She took a few steps closer to his bed, and hesitantly sat on the very edge. "I don't object to getting to know you better though, if you approve."

"Really?" He asked, and the great general of Shinra suddenly looked so lost and vulnerable, even more so than the previous night.

"Yes. I think this was one hell of a bonding experience." Mei replied, smiling lightly.

He flashed her a smile, a real one, and even though she personally knew him only for a day, she realized how rare it was. "How are you feeling?" She inquired.

"My body is still aching. But I feel better. Stronger." He answered, scanning his body.

"Definitely stronger." Mei said bitterly, trying to move the fingers of her right hand. "You totally crushed my bones last night."

He looked apologetically at her swollen hand, with finger shaped bruises. "I can Cure it for you." He offered, before casting his eyes down in shame.

"Save your powers, I'm going to visit the infirmary." Mei informed him, sending him a tight smile. To ensure he would not be offended she placed her hand on his shoulder, and gave it a light squeeze, before she got up and walked away.

Mei turned around just before leaving the room. "Call me if you need anything. Or you can just call me." She suggested, and his eyes widened slightly. "See you around, general."


	4. Chapter 4 - To Reach a Port of Heaven

**A/N: Enjoy the quick updates while they last.**  
**I'm an officer in the army, and waiting to be repositioned, but once I move I will have significantly less time for fanfic. **  
**Surprising as it may be, I actually have a plot for this story. I didn't see it coming.**  
**Thanks again for the reviews.**

**Chapter 4 - To Reach a Port of Heaven We Must Sail, And to Mei It Feels Like Hell**

The following weeks were Sephiroth-free, and Mei was nothing but grateful. Naturally, there were random encounters in the Shinra building, there was no avoiding that, and all of them were as awfully awkward as Mei imagined them to be. The general would acknowledge her with a nod, or greet her politely as 'Miss Han', and she would reply just as formally. They would look at each other wordlessly with growing discomfort, until the silence became suffocating and one of them would just walk away.

Mei moved through the 17th floor corridor after another bothersome encounter, when Vincent appeared behind her. He had a way of popping out of nowhere, and was probably the only person in the world who could sneak up on her.

"What's going on with the general?" Vincent gave her one of his soul-seeking stares.

Mei feigned innocence. "Nothing. We simply greeted each other."

Vincent was sending her his 'don't-bullshit-me' glare. "The general does not simply greet people."

That was entirely true. While Sephiroth won his fame due to his performance on the battlefield, he was also notoriously known for his complete lack of social skills. Mei's eyes darted across the hallway and then returned to Vincent. He nodded in understanding.

"I must brief you on your next mission. Let's head to my office." He instructed, and they silently made their way.

Vincent closed the door behind him, and cast a modified Shield to make the room soundproof, while Mei set up the electronic device that interferes with the cameras. It was forbidden by Shinra rules to use such methods in the headquarters, but it was standard procedure for Mei and Vincent, who were equally paranoid.

"Speak." Vincent ordered, taking a seat.

"I ran into Second Class SOLDIER Zack Fair, a few weeks ago. He requested my assistance with cracking the code-lock to his friend's apartment, since he suspected his friend was severely ill and unable to open the door himself." Mei recalled, "One thing led to another and I found myself in the general's apartment, nursing him after Fair left for a mission."

"I was not aware the general got injured." Vincent raised an eyebrow.

"Because he wasn't. Were you aware that science department was experimenting on Shinra superiors?" Mei replied hotly, "That sick fuck Hojo is using the general as a guinea pig."

Vincent visibly cringed, and it was an unusually expression for him to wear. Mei filed that information for later inspection. "You have yet to learn about what truly happens in Shinra." He said cryptically.

"I assume you have no intention of telling me." Mei stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

Vincent pondered for a moment, and his eyes were distant. "I know of Sephiroth's ill-treatment by Shinra since his birth. I do not wish to violate his privacy, especially when there is no operational requirement for such information." He explained slowly, thoughtfully.

"I can accept that." Mei said respectfully, "But I am certain there are others matters I should be aware of."

"There certainly are." Vincent agreed, his face once again void of any emotion. "I intend to pass everything I know to you, before I retire. I took you as a protege for a reason."

Mei watched him curiously, hoping he would share his secrets with her. When his red eyes met hers, she could tell she was about to be disappointed. "You are scheduled for a mission tomorrow. You will be leaving for your destination at midnight." Vincent informed her.

"Assassination?" Mei inquired.

Vincent nodded. "We can't afford to leave evidence, but we want to make sure the message gets through. The target is a business man who donates to Anti-Shinra organizations."

"Militant activists?"

"Shinra considers them terrorists." Vincent replied vaguely.

"Shinra is the judge, the jury and the executioner." Mei said acidly.

"I appreciate your ability to question authority." Vincent remarked gingerly. "But I would be deeply disappointed if it effects your performance."

"It wouldn't." Mei assured, "I enjoy my job too much. I suppose it makes me a terrible person."

Vincent gazed at her behind his black bangs, regarding her with silent concentration. "The fact that you can point out your faults makes you a better person than most of us." He said solemnly, "However, Shinra is not the place for the kindhearted."

"Then how do you explain a personality like Zack Fair?" Mei challenged.

"Unfortunately, Fair is not going to last." Vincent commented flatly, and his expression withheld Mei from further inquiring. "I want you to go to the shooting range. Calibrate your sniper riffle, make sure you're ready. Get some rest and meet me at the landing strip at midnight. By then we should receive additional info about the target."

"Yes, sir." Mei bowed her head slightly.

"Dismissed, Miss Han." Vincent said teasingly, with the faintest smirk.

* * *

It was a six hours flight to Fort Condor, and Mei never managed to get some rest on a helicopter. Rude was flying the platform, which was reassuring, but the unbearable noise and the constant shaking were chasing away her sleep. She checked and re-checked about a hundred times packing all the necessary equipment, until Vincent slapped her hands and told her to stop ferreting.

They took a small boat from the shore to Mideel area, and Mei's skin was green as her hair when they reached the southern island. She emptied the contents of her stomach on the way, and was more than relieved to set foot on solid ground. The island had tropical flora, and the small unit made its way through the jungles, heading to the destination.

The target had a secret shelter on the island, a beautiful villa on the northern coast. According to Vincent's brief, he hosted a birthday celebration party, and other suspects of criminal activity against Shinra were supposed to attend it. First, they will gather intelligence on the rebelling group, and then Mei must assassinate him. By noontime, they arrived at their destination, on a hill that was overlooking the villa. Mei and two fellow Turks stayed back, while Vincent and Rude progressed forward to gather info.

At nightfall they returned, and Vincent instructed Mei to set up her gear. The party guests were heading outside to the yard to have a barbecue, and Mei positioned herself, adjusting the riffle's tripod.

Deep, calm breathes. Clear, sharp mind. Steady, confident hands.

Mei repeated her mantra, preparing herself to perfectly execute another mission. She looked through the telescopic sight, searching for her target. Innocent civilians, terrorists, they all looked the same as she scanned them emotionless, like a robot.

Target: Located.

Mei relaxed her trigger finger, to allow that perfect squeeze. She let out a deep breath, her body pressed flat on the ground, her legs spread apart and her torso perfectly aligned.

But there was an interruption. The target leaned down as a small girl rushed to him, and picked her in his arms. An older boy followed, joining the target. She did not have a clean shot.

Mei craned her neck, telling Vincent with her eyes to wait. The unit was ready to cover her up if an attack was directed at them after the shot, or otherwise, to evacuate as soon as possible.

The target was alone once again. Mei was not afraid of risks, but usually preferred to go for center-of-mass shots. Her sight was perfectly aimed at the target's nose. The wind was blowing west and Mei made a small adjustment.

Deep, calm breathes. Clear, sharp mind. Steady, confident hands.

Mei pulled the trigger.

The shot was soundless, but Mei heard the little girl scream as if she was standing by her ear. The target's brain was partially on the wall behind him, and mostly scattered. Mei silently and quickly packed her gear, and the unit headed through the tangled jungle to the south coast where a supposedly civilian trading ship had anchored. The darkness hid them efficiently as the target's companions started searching for them, and before midnight they made it to the ship.

Mei was dirtier than she was in a long time, her long braid caked with mud and decorated with leaves and sticks. Her uniform was filthy from lying on the ground for so many hours, and from crossing a few vicious swamps on the way. She was certain some mutated form of mosquito stung her through the thick fabric, and she was itching all over.

"Mei's hair is perfect for jungle camouflage." Rude teased, pulling a nasty looking bag out of her messy nest of hair.

The other Turks chuckled, and settled comfortably among the cargo the ship carried, allowing themselves to relax. Vincent placed a bucket beside her, and sat down in a safe distance. That bucket was put to good use an hour later.

"Could you not be so noisy when you puke? I was just falling asleep..." One of the Turks said, while Mei was hugging the bucket, looking utterly miserable.

The only reaction Mei could offer was gagging and then the splattering sound of vomit.

Someone sniggered evily, and Mei continued to contemplate how much exactly did she hate sea travel. Vincent made her drink some water, but she could not even think about eating, and by the time they arrived to Midgar port it was morning and Mei had nothing left to throw up. A chopper quickly carried them to Shinra headquarters, and ill-looking, stench-reeking and exhausted she stepped out of aircraft just to ran into the general instructing his SOLDIER officers.

"Hey, you!" The joyous, overly loud voice of Zack Fair reached her ears. Mei cast him a glance, hoping he would disappear or drop dead because she absolutely had no patience to deal with him.

The whole group of SOLDIER, including the general, gave her their undivided attention at that moment. Their expression diverted between amusement and pity and Mei's fingers tightened around her riffle.

"Even with Mako, you're not faster than my bullets." Mei barked, "So refrain from commenting."

Fair looked as if he was about to disagree, but the general gave him a warning glare. Mei hoped she would never be on its receiving end, because even from a neutral perspective, that glower was terrifying. The general averted his eyes to her, and took a step towards her.

"Rough trip?" He asked, and the left side of his lips was curved upwards, as if attempting a smile.

Mei closed her eyes for a second, covering her face with her hand. She saw a flash of that little girl, her ears tingled from that sorrowful scream. "You have no idea." Mei muttered tiredly.

The general took another step forward, extending his arm. "Hand me your weapon, I'll return it to the armory. Get some rest."

Mei gaped at him dumbly for a few seconds, slowly processing his words. When she realized he offered to save her thirty minutes of waiting in the damned weapon storage, which allowed her to start scrubbing herself silly in the shower in about ten minutes, she grinned widely.

Mei handed him the riffle. "Much appreciated, general." She thanked him, and hurried to her apartment, ignoring the strange looks she received from those who witnessed her exchange with the general.

After a quick stop in her apartment, Mei headed straight to the common showers - there was absolutely no chance she was making such a mess in her private bathroom. It took her the better part of an hour to clean herself properly, and take out all the strange articles that got caught in her hair. She was so tired that she did not even mind the cold water. She fell a sleep like the dead once she set a foot in her bedroom.

Mei woke up in the evening, her stomach grumbling loudly and her throat dry. She reached for her PHS to see a message from Vincent.

'You missed dinner. I have food in my office. Drop by when you wake up.'

Mei allowed herself to smile. Nobody really cared for her, not even when she was a toddler growing up in Shinra, and Vincent was the only one that showed any concern for her. Sometimes she wished he was her father. Vincent's age was not mentioned in his file, or at least the file she had access to, but through mentions of his name involving past missions she figured out he was well over forty. He did not look a day over thirty.

She made herself presentable and went to Vincent's office, delighted by the idea of food. True to his word, Vincent had a bowl of pasta with meatballs awaiting for her on his table. She devoured it in mere moments and then leaned back, petting her stomach with satisfaction.

"I have a feeling you were effected by this mission." Vincent broke the silence, once again proving his sharp observation skills.

"I hate sea travel." Mei shrugged her shoulders, determined not to discuss what happened.

Vincent sighed. "It is alright if you are not comfortable to share it with me. There are professionals therapists in Shinra that you can consult. The treatment would not interfere with your promotion, and of course you have medical confidentiality-"

"-please. As if Shinra respects confidentiality laws." Mei rolled her eyes.

Vincent's eyes flashed with amusement and then it was back to that mysterious red gaze. "Then find your own way to deal with it. I've seen excellent Turks go mad because they failed to coop with the dirty aspects of our job."

Mei was silent for a long while. Her thoughts were so disoriented and inconsistent that she was not even sure what they were. Vincent was examining her with his mask of relentless serenity, waiting for her words but never forcing her to answer.

"Have your ever felt like your conviction is wavering? Did you have doubts...about being a Turk?" Mei asked, sounding utterly confused and lost.

"Yes." Vincent said softly, "More than once I considered to leave this life behind me and start anew somewhere else."

"Why didn't you leave?" Mei inquired, surprised and oddly comforted by Vincent's moment of candor.

"Because I had nowhere to go." Came Vincent's morbid answer, and Mei felt a wave of fear and desperation rushing over her. Vincent gave her a dark look, that spoke volumes, and followed with the most outrageous statement Mei had ever heard from him. "There is no alternative to Shinra. For the time being."

Mei guarded her expression but inwardly, she was doing a serious reality check. Vincent Valentine, who was the epitome of a Shinra agent, who was more Turk than Tseng, had toyed with the idea of defecting. Possibly to join an anti-Shinra organization. That was beyond surreal, and Mei had to pinch her arm. Yes, she definitely felt it. The only other option was that the world as she knew it was about to end. Perhaps tomorrow the sun would not shine, the general would join a circus as a belly dancer and the president of Shinra would donate his entire fortune to a Chocobo farm.

"I feel I have fueled your thoughts more than I intended." Vincent remarked with mild amusement.

Mei smiled weakly. "I appreciate your honesty. You're the only thing in my life I have never doubted."

It was the perfect moment for Vincent to give her a fatherly hug, and of course, it never happened. But even through his many shields and walls, Mei could tell her words effected him. "You should though, you should doubt everyone." Vincent warned her, yet his voice was gentle and it sounded more like a plea.

Mei knew Vincent meant well, with his never-ending preaching about keeping her guard. His message hurt her nonetheless, and made her miserably lonely with the idea that she could not trust even him.

"I wish I would never have to disappoint you." Vincent interfered her turbulent silence. While Mei believed him to be genuine, the vague phrasing did not escape her. Vincent did not make her any promises.


	5. Chapter 5 - Less Is More P1

**A/N: So another long chapter that is cut into two parts.**  
**I apologize for any grammar/spelling/misprint mistake, I have no Beta for this story.**  
**I only re-read it twice or trice, because I'm a lazy bitch (and to think I'm in charge of fixing helicopters...).**  
**I'd appreciate your opinion of about story development, characters, style etc.. **

**Chapter 5 - Less Is More, But Bitch You've Got to Cover Yourself Up (Part 1)**

Like every large organization, Shinra was guilty of frustratingly ungainly bureaucracy and infinite unnecessary regulations. One of said regulations stated, that every Shinra employee must attend a yearly lecture about sexual harassment at workplace. Being the devoted worker she was, Mei was sitting in the last row of Shinra's conference auditorium, listening to her music player and playing with her ridiculously large bundle of keys.

Mei had a disturbing habit of collecting things, mainly keys and door cards. She had a key for every utility closet and access card for every service lift, no matter how negligible or useless those places were. Mei was just weird like that, and it probably started when she was a kid wandering through the many hallways of Shinra, and finding herself in odd places in front of locked doors. She had memorized most of the buildings' layout and as she achieved her Turk status she was determined to put her hands on the keys to all of the places that was once inaccessible.

Mei averted her eyes to the stage, where Scarlet was lecturing about sexual harassment. The concept was as hilarious as it was ludicrous, since Scarlet's huge cleavage was so exaggerated that Mei felt violated herself. Scarlet's tits were raping her eyes. Mei let her eyes scan the crowd, locating Vincent a few rows beneath her, vigorously texting his PHS. Judging by the rhythm in which he was typing and reading, he was chatting with Tseng, who sat a few seats to his left. The Shinra management mainly occupied the first row, and so did Reno who wanted to get a better look of Scarlet's assets. A few rows up, she spotted two First Class SOLDIER officers, Genesis Rhapsodos and Angeal Hewley.

Sephiroth was oddly missing, not that he needed that lecture. There was no way Sephiroth could possibly sexually harass anyone. Honestly, who would be unwilling if Sephiroth made a move on him?

Mei was so amused by her own joke that she let out a chuckle, which earned her angry looks from a few serious looking people sitting before her. Her little giggle fit drew the attention of Zack Fair as well, who turned around in his seat and waved her enthusiastically. Mei pretended she did not notice him. Her attempt was futile as Fair misunderstood her blunt disregard, and left his seat to join her at the top row.

"What's up, Mei-Chan?" Fair asked gleefully, while gliding into the seat next to her.

Mei gave him a disdainful look. "I will give you the benefit of the doubt, and assume that you are ignorant and not intentionally condescending." Mei said flatly, "Using 'Chan' is simply diminutive."

"I thought it was cute!" Fair defended himself.

"It was cute if I was four years old." Mei was hanging on her last shreds of patience.

"Well, it wasn't my intention to offended you. I actually wanted to congratulate you on the great work you did with Seph." Fair said brightly, grinning from ear to ear.

"What are you talking about?"

"You stayed with him when I went on a mission." Zack reminded her, "Usually he's in a foul mood for days after he returns from the labs, but this time he was quite tolerable."

"That was weeks ago, Fair." Mei said with a sigh, seeing no reason to fuss over it.

"And my gratitude did not falter since!" Fair declared dramatically, "I really owe you."

"How about you stop talking and we settle the score?" Mei suggested hopefully.

"No. pick another one." Fair insisted.

"I have a sparring session with Cloud on Saturday. Perhaps you will join us and show us some SOLDIER moves?" Mei asked, not without sarcasm.

"Of course I will join you, it would be my pleasure. It doesn't count." Fair argued, nearly beaming with happiness.

"Could you cast Morph on Scarlet's top and make it a little less revealing?" Mei proposed after having another glance at the exposed flesh. "My eyes are bleeding from this sight."

If her burst of giggles drew attention, it paled in comparison to Fair's hysterical fit of laughter. Scarlet actually stopped talking, and nearly every head in the hall was turned to look at them. First Class SOLDIER Angeal Hewley made a warning gesture with his index finger. Vincent and Tseng were too busy messaging each other.

"How about Haste to make this shit end faster?" Mei offered, nearly causing Fair to choke from laughter and make horrendous snorting noises.

Scarlet's eyes shoot daggers at both of them as she spoke into the microphone. "Is there a problem?"

Mei was not in the mood for lecturing. Apparently, she was in the mood for getting in trouble. She stood up, giving Scarlet an equally vicious glare. "Actually, there are two problems. And they're staring right at me from your pushup bra." Mei replied loud enough for everyone to hear. Laughter erupted as she exited the hall.

Fair followed her outside like a puppy, still giggling uncontrollably. "You just got me into so much trouble," Fair sounded much too amused, "But it was so worth it."

"I wish I could say the same for myself." Mei said tiredly, wondering what punishment she would receive.

"We should totally hang out together!" Fair exclaimed.

"We shouldn't. Really." Mei disagreed, quickening her pace as she marched to her office.

"Don't be so sour." Fair teased, poking her cheek.

"I'm not fucking sour!" Mei yelled at him. "What do you SOLDIERs have with me being sour? And keep your fingers to yourself before I file a sexual harassment complaint against you."

Fair snickered at her threat. "Who else said you were sour?"

"The general." Mei replied bitterly.

"Seph loves sour! You know those extremely sour candies that no one can eat because it feels like your teeth are melting?" Fair babbled energetically, "Seph is addicted to them."

"Fascinating." Mei took a sharp right turn, hoping to lose Fair in the maze of the Shinra headquarters building.

"But I think you're more like these Sour Spanks - you're sour on the outside, yet sweet in the inside!" Fair was steady on her tail, with his endless chatter.

And then Mei reached her office and shut the door in his face. And the she locked it. With both locks.

Mei took a few moments to regain her composure, and then sat down to do her paper work, the inglorious side of being a Turk. She had three hours of the most efficient work she had ever done before Vincent opened her door, although she did not recall giving him the keys to her office. His expression was colder than normal, which was enough to make her all nervous and uncomfortable. Vincent gave her a hard look that made her feel very small and foolish and she was mere seconds from dropping to her knees and begging for forgiveness.

"Heidegger sent me to reprimand you." Vincent announced sternly, causing Mei to shrink into a little ball of regret. "Consider yourself reprimanded."

Mei looked at him with utter astonishment. "That's all?"

"No. I've consulted Tseng and other Shinra superiors and we decided a punishment is in order." Vincent informed her. "Until further notice, you're on 'Sephiroth duty'."

"On what?" Mei cried out.

"In case he needs supervision and care after his lab sessions, you're responsible for treating him." Vincent clarified.

Ok, it could have been much worse. But it was still pretty damn awful. Time to change the subject, perhaps Vincent would let it slide. "I've finished the revision of the junior Turk training program."

Vincent gave her an approving nod. "I knew this kind of work would fit you."

Mei cocked a questioning eyebrow, waiting for him to explain. "You're rather opinionated, as we all discovered today." Vincent remarked, "You're experienced enough to tell what a Turk needs to know, and young enough to remember what you were lacking."

"Well, I suppose I did find it relatively interesting, for paperwork." Mei admitted reluctantly.

"I appreciate your fine attempt to distract me, but I'm afraid it's not good enough. Hojo expects you in lab 23," Vincent checked his watch, "In half an hour."

"What?" Mei whined, "I have Sephiroth duty today?"

Vincent confirmed with a patient nod.

"I suppose it make sense. He was absent from the lecture, while the rest of the SOLDIER officers attended." Mei thought out loud. "You're not mad at me?" She looked at Vincent worryingly.

Vincent shrugged. "I've done worse when I was younger. The lecture was a bore and honestly, Scarlet had that coming."

Mei grinned, feeling extremely relived. "You were texting with Tseng the whole time."

Vincent gave her a long, contemplative stare. Then he smirked. "You might make a decent Turk after all."

Mei beamed at his halfhearted joke. She realized she was acting all puppy-like, horribly resembling Zack Fair, but earning Vincent's approval felt amazing.

"Hojo is waiting for you, Mei-Kun." Vincent urged her, and it was all that was needed for her to bolt out of her seat and out of the office.

Preparing for the worst, Mei dashed to her apartment and quickly gathered some necessities, before she made her way to the chilly underground of the laboratories. Mei remembered the labs vaguely, she used to visit it frequently when she was a toddler, but along the years it seemed that the science department has lost interest in her, and let her be. Led by pieces of memory and her inner compass, she went to the lowest floor, and after a few turns she was standing by the heavy metal doors of lab 23.

She pressed the intercom and the doors slid open with a screech, revealing the surprisingly vacant laboratory. Shinra's efficiency policy dictated that a lab should always work in full capacity, and it was strange to walk into the quiet space, occupied with empty beds and a single man in a wheelchair. Mei's heart sunk.


	6. Chapter 6 - Less Is More P2

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing.**  
**Mei and Sephiroth's relationship is developing slowly, on purpose, because I'm a firm opposer to the stories where they meet-fuck-fall in love-have babies after 1.35 chapters. **  
**Since I'm not entirely heartless, this chapter has some 'cute' in it. **

**Chapter 6 - Less Is More, But Bitch You've Got to Cover Yourself Up (Part 2)**

"Oh, you're early." A lanky man shuffled into the room, his small black eyes focusing on her. "The subject should be awake in a few moments, but you can remove him from the lab now."

Mei regarded professor Hojo with an impassive gaze, although in her mind she was crucifying him slowly and leaving him to the wolves. The way he spoke about the general as if he was nothing more than an experiment, made her blood boil. "I will wait for his awaking, sir, if it's acceptable."

"Fine, but I want him out as soon as possible." Hojo replied harshly.

"May I ask what is the haste?" Mei inquired politely.

"He's taking up space." Hojo waved his hands to emphasize his point, "No one is allowed into the laboratory while he is here, because his weaknesses and the exact extent of his power are classified as top-secret."

The general chose that moment to stir slightly in his chair, regaining his consciousness. Mei knelt in front of him, when his eyes opened and his gaze slowly focused on her. "Hi, general."

It took him a moment or so to recognize her. "Miss Han."

"Do you think you can walk, or do you want me to drive you home?" Mei asked with a small smile, motioning with her head at his wheelchair.

"Can't walk." The general replied quietly.

Mei nodded, and examined him quickly. He was wearing a cheap hospital gown and was barefoot, his face alarmingly gray and his eyes kept losing focus. She did not wish for anyone to see him in that state, mainly because it would wreck his image, and consequently Shinra's. Mei searched for Hojo to ask for some clothes or at least something to cover the general with, but the bastard disappeared and she resorted to stealing one of the lab's blankets. Mei draped the fabric on the general's lap, and pulled some of it over his head, to hide the distinguishable silver hair.

Mei exited the lab with a solid plan forming in her mind, of how to bring the general to his apartment unseen. She pushed his wheelchair through the cold corridors, navigating based on the map in her head.

"You're going the wrong way." The general spoke after a few minutes.

"I'm going the right way, just not where you expect me to go." Mei explained, "The main elevators would take us to the HQ lobby, which is crowded in these hours."

"You don't want me to be seen." He said softly, "That's...surprisingly considerate."

"As a Turk, I pride myself for being discreet." Mei remarked lightly, pulling out her huge set of keys and opening one of the service elevators. "This one should lead us to an underground passage to the living quarters."

As Mei anticipated, they reached a deserted, dusty hallway, connecting the two buildings. A short while later, they arrived at the basement of the SOLDIER dormitories, waiting for the elevator to come. Mei fished a red plastic card from her jacket and waved it in front of the general.

"This is Gaia's gift to humanity." Mei stated dramatically. "A priority card. The elevator won't stop until we reach your floor."

The general looked as amused as possible considering his ill state. "Handy. How did you get it?"

"Professional secret." Mei grinned, pushing his chair into the elevator. Forty-three floors later they arrived at their destination, unnoticed.

"I don't regret grading your stealth exceptionally high." The general commented once they entered his apartment.

"Why do you even remember it?" Mei asked, puzzled.

"I rarely go on missions with women. And the few times I did, turned out rather disastrous." He rationalized.

"Do tell." Mei wore her most attentive expression.

"Perhaps later. I would really appreciate a shower right now." The general said, glancing toward his bathroom.

Mei blanched. How was this going to work? He did not actually expect her to wash him, did he?

He chuckled at her obvious distress. "Just draw me a bath, I promise I won't make you scrub my back."

Mei gave him a pointed stare, as if it was going to be so simple. Wordlessly, she went to his bathroom and filled out the tub, making sure there were plenty of bubbles to cover his nudity. While the water streamed, he managed to roll himself into the room, looking exhausted by the effort.

"What has he done to you?" Mei found herself whispering.

"Just tempering with my balance and sense of orientation." The general sounded so casual about it, "I feel like everything around me moves. But it should pass by morning."

Mei helped him shift from the wheelchair to the edge of the bathtub, and with a strong tug of his right arm, he tore the gown off and cast it away. The second Mei realized he was going to undress in front of her, and she knew he wore nothing beneath the flimsy fabric, she closed her eyes.

"Come on, I'm not that bad-looking." The general teased, and Mei carefully opened one of her eyes and looked solely at his face. Perhaps she stole a few glances at his sculptured torso, but never lower than that.

Mei helped him slide into the water, visibly relieved when the bubbles shielded him from her view. She left him to take care of himself, and sat rigidly on the sofa in his living room, waiting for that dreadful moment when she would have to help him out. Objectively, she should be grateful for the opportunity to fulfill the fantasy of so many of his admirers, but the circumstances made her very uncomfortable with appreciating his attractiveness.

"I'm done. Could you fetch me a boxer? Third drawer in the big closet." He called out from the bathroom, and Mei exhaled heavily at the thought of rummaging through his underwear drawer.

Mei squared her shoulders, and walked to his bedroom with determination to stop being mortified with the entire situation. She was chosen to take care of him, and they would probably have plenty of future interactions, which were not going to be any less awkward. Stop being such a prudish virgin, Mei silently screamed at herself.

Looking through his drawer, Mei thought he had very little underwear. Perhaps it was not just a thought since he answered "I usually don't wear any. I thought you would be more comfortable if I wasn't naked."

So the general was going commando, Mei grinned to herself. She returned to the bathroom with a little more confidence and a little less anxiety, and held him as he pushed himself up and out of the tub, before reaching for a towel. Mei made sure he was stable enough and allowed him some privacy when he dried himself and put on his boxer. He called for her when he was decent, and she moved him to sit on his bed, watching as he ran his fingers through his long wet hair. It did not go smoothly.

"Do you want me to do your hair? I know mine goes completely out of control after I wash it..." Mei offered with uncertainty, watching him warily from the corner of her eye.

He turned his head to look at her, pleasantly surprised. "If it's not too much trouble."

"Not at all." Mei assured him, jumping from the bed with a rush of energy and fetching a brush from the bathroom.

Mei positioned herself behind him, on her knees, her ankles tucked beneath her bottom giving her that extra height to reach for the top of his head. She carefully parted his hair, working on every sheaf separately, unraveling all the knots in his waist-length fringes. The silver color was even more beautiful up close, and it felt incredibly soft in her hands.

"Should I braid it?" Mei questioned, while going through the last group of hair.

The general pondered for a moment. "Sure."

Mei immediately started working on his braid, wandering if she ever saw the general wearing his hair this way. She was fairly certain he never did. It took a few moments to interweave his lengthy tresses, and she was extra cautious not to tug on his hair too roughly. She dug into her pockets, finding a ribbon, and tied the end of his braid.

"Does it feel alright? Not too tight?" Mei worried, examining his new look.

He raised a hand to his hair, caressing his new plait, sneaking a peak at the mirror on his wall. "It's perfect."

Mei took a moment to appreciate the sight. The hairdo did not rebate his masculinity, if anything it was only amplified by the fact that he could wear his hair fancy and still look like the epitome of fierceness. The sharp angles and hard lines of his face stood out more than ever, and Mei found herself gawking for a moment, at such beauty that was considered sinful.

"I'm starving." Mei declared as she rolled him from the bedroom to the living room, to his request.

He moved himself to the couch, slouching. "I still owe you for last time. Order for both of us, and charge me."

Mei quickly ordered a pizza, and took off her shoes, sitting cross-legged on the opposite end of the couch. He checked his PHS for a few moments before giving her a measuring look.

"So you caused a ruckus today." The general mentioned, his abnormally green eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Allegedly." Mei was slightly embarrassed. "As penance, I got signed up for 'Sephiroth duty'."

The general laughed at that. "I must have quite the reputation if assisting me is considered a punishment."

"No comment." Mei replied with a smirk.

The general playfully punched her arm, and by playfully she meant motherfucking hard, but with no intention to cause harm. Luckily, Mei was exceptionally tough for a girl, or it would have ended with tears. They chatted idly a bit longer until the pizza arrived, and then there was silence while they devoured the food, save from the sound of chewing.

"Well, you didn't miss much, except for Scarlet's outrageous cleavage." Mei ensured him, while filling him in on the day's events.

"I'd pick Hojo's lab over that ungodly sight, any day." The general joked, leaning his head tiredly against the soft pillows.

Mei chuckled, feeling her tension drift away. She would always feel slightly nervous around men, since she had witnessed and experienced their sleazy ways enough to take caution. But the general swung the other way, and he did make an exceptional attempt at being pleasant, so she allowed herself to relax a little.

"I still have to come up with a punishment for Zack, because Angeal doesn't have the heart to do it." He shared, rubbing his eyes.

"It's usually Turk responsibility, but you can put him on duty in the firing range. Collecting used bullets all day is a humbling experience." Mei offered, recalling the too many times she had to fulfill that foul task.

"It sounds fitting. Everyone likes Zack too much to be really hard on him." He said, sounding genuinely fond of the younger SOLDIER.

Mei cocked a surprised eyebrow, she could not imagine two people more different than Fair and the general. "He'll grow on you too, if you let him." The general assured her, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Fat chance." Mei snorted. "Come on general, I think it's time for your beauty sleep."

The general gazed at her beneath heavy lids, and then nodded. She rolled him into his bedroom, where he flung himself into the bed, lying on his stomach, face planted into the pillow. Assuming his was comfortable in that position, Mei allowed herself to indulged in a hot shower, changing into sleeping clothes. She checked on him once more when she was done, noticing he flipped on his back and was still awake.

"Anything you need?" She asked, making sure he was taken care of before she headed to sleep on the couch.

"No. Yes...I..." The general sounded uncharacteristically indecisive, and in the darkness of his bedroom she could still spot a faint blush on his cheeks. "Can you do what you did...last time?"

Mei blinked dumbly a few times, having no clue what he was asking for, and what got him so flustered. She watched his mortified expression morph into disappointment when she did not respond. But then it finally dawned on her and she nodded, stepping towards his bed. She crawled beneath the covers, placing herself behind him, with her arm lightly wrapped around his narrow waist. He pressed his back into her, and moved his braided hair to his front, allowing her to nuzzle into his neck.

It felt extremely intimate, but since Mei assumed there was nothing sexual about it, she allowed herself to admit it was sort of pleasant. His skin felt good against hers, and the ripple motion of muscles beneath her fingers when he breathed was hypnotizing. He smelled nice, for a change.

"Hojo says...that this is weakness." The general said faintly.

"Hojo is a huge prick." Mei retorted, slightly angered. "In this game of survival, every form of support you can get is legit. Why do you even listen to that asshole?"

There was a long silence before he spoke again. "Because he's my father."

Mei stopped breathing for what may have been a few minutes. This fact certainly did not appear in the general's file. This was so unbelievably fucked up. Hojo was abusing his own son. Mei was raging and she did not know where her wrath was directed, whether it was towards Hojo, or Shinra or the cruel world they lived in. She settled on tightening her grip around the man in her arms, and stretched her neck to place a sweet kiss on his cheek.

He smiled. It was a sad one, but still a smile.


	7. Chapter 7 - Blessed Are the Meek

**A/N: So this chapter was rather long and I decided not to divide it, since you asked and I'm feeling generous.**  
**Some more scenes to introduce characters and their personality and relations, so it would not be odd and out of nowhere when the plot actually begins (next chapter).  
Thanks for reviewing and have a lovely weekend.**

**Chapter 7 - Blessed Are the Meek, But Sometimes You Really Need Some Attitude**

Days blended into nights, and nights faded into days, as Mei lived from one mission to another. Before she realized, it was already Saturday and she dragged herself out of bed, heading to the practice grounds. Her good spirits dropped drastically when she came across Cissnei.

"Mei, lovely to ran into you!" Cissnei said with a bright smile and eyes that shone with genuine delight.

Mei was above falling into Cissnei's saccharine trap, it was well known among the Turks that Cissnei was a master of deceit.

"What do you want, Cissnei?" Mei grunted, ominous feeling creeping into her chest.

"Always so sour." Cissnei clicked her tongue, "It wouldn't hurt you to be more amiable."

Mei fantasized about breaking the woman's delicate neck.

"Next month is International Women's Day." Cissnei informed her. "We organize some team building event to encourage woman empowerment."

What an utter waste of time. "No."

Cissnei pressed her lips into a thin, dangerous smile. "I wouldn't dare to force you into it, but a remark on your personal file about acting hostile towards your peers and refusing to participate in Shinra activities...It might delay your promotion."

"You cunning bitch." Mei spat, accepting that she had been cleverly cornered.

"I'm so glad you're going to join us! I'm sure we will have so much fun together." Cissnei exclaimed with her most convincing fake cheerfulness, and skipped away.

Mei arrived at the training grounds, her expression one of crazed rage. Strife noticed her foul mood and they silently began their warm up, running a few laps around the Shinra complex. When they picked up their blunt swords, Mei leashed out at Strife with full force, aiming her frustration at him. Strife appeared alarmed, and after blocking one of her vicious attacks he managed to get a good kick in her stomach, causing her to stumble backwards a few steps.

"Whoever awakened your wrath, I don't deserve to die for their sins!" Strife yelled at her, "Seriously Mei, chill."

Strife's remark and the dull pain in her abdomen subdued her fury, and she gave him a weak smile. Mei knew that even if she fought to the full extent of her abilities, Strife would still kick her ass. That kid was devilishly talented with a sword.

Mei raised her hands in surrender, and mumbled an apology before restarting their match. It was less heated this time, putting more emphasis on improving their technique and their motion flow. Fair joined them sometime later, adjusting their grips and correcting stances. After another quick exchange of blows, Strife got a hit at her ribs, again.

Mei let out a groan of frustration. "I always leave my left side unprotected!"

"It's a common mistake." Fair informed her, "Can you swing with your left hand?"

"I suppose, but not as good as my right." Mei replied.

"Then start practicing now. I want to see your sword shifting hands when you fight." Fair commanded.

While Mei rarely took orders from anyone other than Tseng or Vincent, she showed respect where it was due. Fair was perhaps a moron, but a highly skilled fighter as well. She did as he instructed, positively surprised that even though she was significantly less skilled in sparring with her left hand, the shifting felt rather natural. Despite her left-handed attacks being weaker, the switch proved beneficial as it forced her to constantly focus on her left side, even after swapping to her stronger arm.

"Oh, That's much better." Fair encouraged her, encircling both Strife and her as they fought.

Mei narrowly managed to escape a clever jab of Strife's sword, suspecting that she avoided it solely because Strife was holding back. She felt the familiar numbness of exhaustion spreading in her limbs, and her breathe was fast and shallow. While Strife was only warming up, Mei was reaching the limits of her stamina, and she decided to end the match before she got injured.

"Enough!" She called out, dropping her sword. "You're getting impossibly good." She gave Strife an accusing glare, and then collapsed to the grass, lounging against a tree trunk.

"You're certainly improving." Fair approved, grinning widely and looking at Strife proudly. The younger man had a pinkish glow in his cheeks and ears.

Without Strife's sword aiming for her head, Mei directed her attention to Fair, who was acting frenzy and overly excited even comparing to his usual energetic self. If she had to use a metaphor, Mei would describe his behavior as a glow-in-the-dark ball of zest, bouncing from wall to wall.

Mei examined Strife as he battled Fair, impressed by the progress he made since he first joined the infantry. Gone was the boy who was constantly ridiculed, who got beaten in the showers and barely survived the long treks. Strife gained noticeable amount of muscle, and even added an inch or two to his height. Strife was still rather small for a SOLDIER, but what he lacked in size and strength, was balanced by his speed and talent. If only he was more confident, if he had more attitude, he would have been picked for SOLDIER already.

Fair was winning another round, but his uniform top was soaked with sweat and he was fully concentrated on his opponent. Fair's Mako-induced strength and his rich experience gave him great advantage over Strife, but the infantry private was giving him hell nonetheless.

"I have the most amazing news!" Fair announced, while they were on a break, appearing as if he was about to burst from pep.

Mei and Strife both raised a questioning eyebrow, waiting for a statement regarding the newest delicious dish in the officer's dining hall, or something equally silly.

"I managed to convince director Lazard to accept Cloud as a SOLDIER cadet!" Fair declared gleefully.

Strife gave the most girly squeal she had ever heard, and rushed towards Fair, tackling him into the ground with a hug. "You're the best, Zack!"

Mei watched with entertainment, unable to deny that she was feeling slightly happy for Strife. Despite laughing at his expense as often as possible, Mei favored the blond private, after overcoming many obstacles together during her infantry service. Strife started his studies in the infantry boarding school roughly a year before Mei graduated, and she kept watching over him even after joining the combat battalion, and eventually, the Turks. It was good to see someone granted with the opportunity he rightfully deserved.

"I will be your mentor for a year, which by the end of it you will have to take the SOLDIER exams." Fair explained, "I still have to consult with Sephiroth about your course-plan."

"The general is going to waste his time on someone as insignificant as me?" Strife whispered, blue eyes wide with wonder.

Enough was enough, Mei was trying to uproot his loser mindset for years. She jumped to her feet, and in one long stride she was in front of him, shaking him silly by his shoulders. "What did I tell you about this crappy attitude?!" She screamed at him, "I will have you on toilet duty for a straight week if I hear this bullshit one more time."

Strife eyed her shyly. "You can't do that anymore."

"Yeah? Want me to pull my Turk connections?" Mei folded her arms over her chest.

"Was it this all about?" Fair intervened, "Cloud didn't even tell me how the two of you know each other."

"I said we met at the infantry." Strife protested.

"But Mei joined the Turks when you were still a toddler!" Fair countered.

"Each first year in the infantry boarding school gets a senior as a tutor." Mei explained, returning to sit by the tree. "I was Strife's. We kept in touch when I moved to the troops, and later on, the Turks."

"That's so cute!" Fair beamed, pressing his palms to his heart.

"No, it wasn't." Mei argued. "Strife hated my guts, he didn't want a girl tutor."

Strife had the decency to blush, and Mei continued. "You know what was the first thing that cheeky bastard told me? 'Did you lose your way to the kitchens?'."

Fair and Strife broke into laughter, and even Mei allowed herself a nostalgic smile.

"But I grew to respect you soon enough." Strife mentioned with shining eyes. "You should have seen her beating the shit out of three juniors that constantly bullied me. With a broom!"

Mei shrugged. "I took Bojutsu as an elective for years."

"Badass teenage ninja Mei!" Fair jumped into a crane-foot stance. Mei rolled her eyes at the silliness.

"Can we eat out tonight?" Strife looked at Fair with hopeful eyes.

"Of course, we must celebrate!"

"You're coming too, Mei?" Strife turned to her, giving her his most adorable expression. Admittedly, it was working.

"Fine, whatever." Mei muttered. She was never in the mood for social interactions but it was not every day that her former apprentice was accepted to be a SOLDIER cadet.

* * *

Ten minutes after eight she heard Fair's loud voice echoing in the corridor. Collecting her keys and cash, Mei opened the door just when they were about to knock. Fair gave her the elevator look.

"Check out those leather pants! Mei's a fashion-killa!" Fair cried out.

"I love your traditional Wutainese hairdo." Strife clapped his hands together.

"Calm your gay parade." Mei snapped, locking the door behind her.

Fair checked his watch. "We better hurry up, the others are waiting!"

"The others?" Mei asked in a clipped voice, eyes narrowed at Fair.

"I just invited a few friends," Fair said casually, "Mainly the Second Class, and the First who are not on a mission."

Mei cast Strife a betrayed look. "You're leading me straight to a SOLDIER ambush."

Strife smirked. "I learned from the best."

Mei found herself in a burger restaurant, sitting at the long table of the VIP room, with a dozen SOLDIERs. Strife was placed at the head of the table, with Fair at his right. Mei sat beside Fair, mainly because the chair to her left was still vacant, and she hoped that would reduce her interaction with the other SOLDIERs. More officers entered the room, seating themselves at the further end of the table.

"Zack, is that your new girlfriend?" One of them shouted.

Mei nearly choked on her burger. Strife was having the laugh of his lifetime. Fair seemed complimented by the idea.

"Nah, she's Cloud's friend." Fair replied, "I wouldn't pull any moves on her though, she's a fierce Turk."

"Watch your tongue, guys!" Another one warned playfully, "The Turks are listening."

"Hey, I know you!" Said a Second Class officer she recognized. "We saw you at the landing strip before going to the Junon mission, you were filthy as the Midgar sewer."

"Damn girl, you clean up nice!" Someone joked.

Mei was not used to getting so much attention, and considered bolting out of there, while digging into her fries. She tuned the voices out as she contemplated the best route of escape, when the chair to her left creaked. She turned to look at the intruder, unprepared for his surprising idenity.

"Yo, Seph. It's so great you came!" Fair called over her head.

The general nodded, and averted his gaze to Strife, who was slightly hyperventilating. "Congratulations, cadet Strife."

The whole table cheered and whooped and Strife was blushing scarlet, overwhelmed by the attention. Mei could not blame him.

"I didn't expect to see you here." The general said quietly, watching her from the corner of his eye as he looked over the menu. Realizing it came out somewhat rude, her added. "It's a pleasant surprise."

"I'm here because Strife lied to me about having a quiet dinner with him and Fair." Mei retorted, taking a sip from her drink. "I definitely didn't expect this, and I wouldn't describe it as a pleasant surprise."

The general chuckled. "They can definitely be quite a handful."

"How can you stand to see them after work hours?" Mei wondered, surveying the mess the SOLDIERs already managed to create, along with their incredibly high level of noise. "I didn't take you for the social type."

"I rarely join them." The general confirmed, "But Fair has been harassing me about his protege for months, and I felt like I was in his debt. He was on 'Sephiroth duty' before you."

"Really?" Mei wore her cunning expression. "So I get to ask for favors too?"

Green eyes flashed with mischief. "That depends on which kind of favors."

"She's a Turk, Seph! Don't reveal our secrets!" A black-haired Second Class yelled.

"Rest assured, Kunsel, I'm very aware of her status." The general replied icily, radiating an air of authority that washed through the room.

"I apologize for their immaturity. They are deeply caught in the Turk-SOLDIER rivalry." The general told her with a grimace.

"Rivalry is unnecessary, but a healthy amount of suspicion is a must." Mei said sternly.

"A Turk through and through." Fair elbowed her in the ribs, exactly at the same place where multiple of Strife's blows landed. Mei cringed.

The general focused on his dish, and Mei wondered when would it be acceptable to leave. She listened halfheartedly to Fair's battle stories and memorized every face in the room, trying to attach a neme to it, if the person was addressed. It was a basic Turk exercise, and Mei found it useful and enjoyable.

"I'm done. Need a ride to Shinra?" The general offered, pushing the plate away and placing a generous amount of Gil on the table.

"Desperately." Mei admitted, paying her own bill.

Mei waved Strife goodbye, and followed the general out. "Damn, that was mentally draining."

"Absolutely," The general agreed. "It's comforting though, knowing I'm not the only socially-challenged one."

"I do feel kind of bad for ending the night at ten. It's not even curfew in the boarding school!" Mei joked, sounding slightly bitter.

"There's a bowling alley, a few blocks away..." He suggested, his expression challenging.

"Prepare to be defeated." Mei said with a wicked smirk.

Half an hour later, the general watched gloomily as Mei got another strike. Her natural instinct was to mock him for his poor bowling skills and revel in her victory, like she often did with the Turks, and especially Reno. But Mei realized that she did not like the somber expression on his face, and she much preferred his rare smiles.

Mei picked a ball that should fit him and held it in front of him. "Come on, I'll show you how it's done." She offered kindly.

Mei explained him the principals of rolling a hook. Placing his fingers correctly and showing the proper way to release a ball, then guiding his arm and shoulders for stylish delivery. His footwork was naturally good so she saw no point in going over it. Teaching him to bowl involved an ample amount of physical touch, and the unfathomable gaze he was giving her every time they made contact did not escape her.

"Ok, give it a try now." Mei instructed him.

The general narrowed his eyes in concentration, and released the ball with frightening speed. Mei could never bowl like that even if she practiced every day for the rest of her life. Strike. Mei suspected one of the pins might have been broken due to the sheer force of impact.

A smug expression morphed on the general's face, and it was a sight to be hold. Clad in black First Class uniform, with his silvery hair waving behind his back, and his green eyes gleaming, Mei found him to be unnervingly attractive. They continued to play, the general quickly catching up, and Mei won by a thread, due to her initial advantage.

They returned to Shinra lighthearted, and the general pulled over at the headquarters parking lot. Mei criticized his musical choices throughout the drive, and they engaged in a heated debate that stopped when they had to part ways, since the Turks resided in a different building than SOLDIER.

"Thanks for the ride, general." Mei said, awkwardly shifting her weight from one leg to another.

"Sephiroth." He said huskily, his eyes drilling holes with their intensity. "You can call me Sephiroth."

"Ok." Mei agreed meekly, bowing her head slightly.

"I'll walk you to your apartment." He offered, but his natural aura of dominance turned it into a command.

"That's really unnecessary-" Mei began to protest when he cut her off.

"-It's only fair I'll know where you live." The general made a point.

Mei rolled her eyes at his reasoning, but allowed him to escort her anyway. Standing outside her apartment, stealing glances at each other and not sure how to act, it totally felt like the end of a date. Mei knew it was not the case, but she still could not shake off the nervousness. They were on first name basis now, certainly on friendly terms, so there was no rationale behind her anxiety.

Mei mustered her courage, and took a step forward, standing on the tips of her toes to place a kiss on his cheek. "Good night, Sephiroth." She said timidly, and slid into her apartment.

"Good night, Mei." She heard him say to her back, just before she closed her door. She leaned against the shut door, his musky scent still clouding her mind. Mei sighed deeply and went to sleep, dreaming about bowling balls, long pale fingers and crappy indie music.


	8. Chapter 8 - The Truth Is Rarely Pure

**A/N: On with the plot, a more Vincent-centric chapter.  
Sephiroth will return in the next chapter, promise!**

**Chapter 8 - The Truth Is Rarely Pure and Never Simple, Especially When You Work For Shinra**

Mei sat in the passenger seat, looking at the mountainous landscape, as they climbed up the winding road to Nibelheim. The science department had asked to retrieve a few files archived in the Shinra mansion. Since the content was highly confidential, it required two armed Turks to carry out the delivery. Vincent was in one of his brooding moods, and Mei knew better than to disturb him with questions.

Even with his face covered by his red bandanna and his black fringes, Mei could tell his expression was severe. Vincent had this halo of silent power, secrets well-hidden and tormented soul, and at the very moment he awfully reminded her of someone she could not name.

They stopped on a hill at the outskirts of Nibelheim, the ominous looking mansion towering above them. Vincent unlocked the heavy metal gate, and they stepped into the front yard. The flora that was once artfully gardened, was now growing wild and unkempt, and Mei assumed the manor has been deserted for many years.

Vincent turned to her. "Most of the files stored in the mansion are top-secret and well beyond your classification level. Any attempt to access them would result in heavy penalty." He warned her with an icy voice.

"Yes, sir." Mei nodded stiffly.

"You will learn everything in due time." Vincent added, a little softer.

Mei followed him silently, walking through the dusty corridors, where the luxury and tasteful décor were still visible beneath the damages of lengthy negligence. They moved down a spiral stairway, and Vincent unlocked a few doors, before entering the basement facilities.

High walls covered in shelves, dark purple carpet spread on the floor, dim lighting, the atmosphere gave Mei the creeps. It felt so sinfully forbidden, like a place full of truths never meant to be brought to light. Mei's fingers tingled with curiosity, the scent of old books waiting to be read was egging her to act. Remembering her promise to Vincent, Mei shoved her hands to her pockets, to ensure they would not venture on their own.

Vincent picked up a few chosen files, and carefully placed them in his suitcase. He mentioned for Mei to follow him, and led her into a large laboratory.

"This is where I died." Vincent stated, emotionless. "And where I was reborn as...something else."

Mei gaped at him, having no clue of what he was talking about it.

"When I was not much older than you are, a novice Turk, still naïve and inexperienced, I fell in love with a beautiful lady. She was a bright scientist working for Shinra, and we had a wild, amorous affair." Vincent said neutrally, seemingly distant, and absentmindedly reached for the silver necklace he always wore.

"After I accidentally discovered her involvement in the incident that caused my father's death, my love for her did not falter, but the guilt drove her away." The sadness slowly invaded his voice. "When I discovered she was pregnant a while after we separated, and that she volunteered herself to one of Hojo's experiments, I came here to stop that madness. But Hojo was determined not to let anyone stop him in his scientific breakthrough." Vincent's words were laced with posion, and his eyes focused on a certain spot on the floor, near a metal table. "This is where he shot me."

"What?!" Mei cried out, shocked and confused and utterly unnerved by Vincent's confession.

"I was mortally wounded and Hojo decided to use my broken body for his researches of endurance and shape-shifting. I wasn't dead nor alive for many months, and my former lover made a desperate try to revive me, injecting me with Chaos-tainted Mako, but Chaos was uncontrollable. She brilliantly theorized that Protomateria reacted to Chaos, and by installing Protomateria in my chest, I gained a certain degree of control over Chaos."

Mei was overwhelmed by the flow of information. Vincent was a victim to Hojo's experimenting. Vincent was not entirely human. Vincent possibly had a child. All of these facts perfectly matched the puzzle that was Vincent.

"I woke up on the operation table, in a form that was not human, to find out the my love was severely ill due to Hojo's experiments. I fell apart." Vincent admitted meekly. "I wandered aimlessly across Gaia for a while, haunted by the guilt wherever I went. I returned to the Turks shortly after hearing about my love's decease."

"What of the child?" Mei whispered anxiously.

"The child...The child was lost to me." Vincent replied cryptically and it was clear he was not going to discuss the matter further.

"How come no one came looking for you? The Turks surely noticed your disappearance." Mei pondered.

Vincent smiled bitterly. "I had my speculations, but they were far off. A few years later I was told by Veld that turning a blind eye on my absence was a required sacrifice due to highly sensitive relations between Shinra's departments."

"The Turks abandoned you." Mei whispered, not yet able to grasp the meaning of her statement.

"Yes. I want it to be a lesson for you." Vincent said darkly, giving her a pointed stare. "You're nothing but a disposable pawn in the ruthless game of chess that is Shinra's inner politics."

"The other warning indicated in my story, is to never get involved with anyone in Shinra." Vincent added after a short silence.

"Well, I wasn't planning on that." Mei joked lamely.

"It usually happens unplanned." Vincent teased her, "I have given up on many pleasures of life to...atone for my sins. I would not wish to see you repeat my mistakes."

"This is why you never took a partner..." Mei concluded.

"Being emotionally involved makes it nearly impossible to control Chaos. I can't take that risk." Vincent confirmed, his hand once again reaching for his necklace.

"Did she give it to you?" Mei queried, hoping that the question was not too invasive.

"Indeed." Vincent said faintly, flipping the silvery links to show their bottom side, engraved with slots that held Materia.

"Clever." Mei said appreciatively.

Vincent nodded. "I think we overstayed our time in the mansion. Would you like to visit your family?"

The suggestion took Mei completely off guard. "I...I don't think I'm quite ready for it." Mei stuttered.

They left the mansion behind, heading for the local inn. Their flight back to Shinra was departing from North Corel on the afternoon of the following day, and Vincent decided they would hit the road early in the morning, not wanting to risk a night travel in the wild mountain area. They noticed the trails of many monsters, but that was a SOLDIER job to deal with them.

Mei retired to her room early, desperately needing to sort out her thoughts. All those things she learned about Vincent, and worse, what she learned of Shinra, were undermining her most fundamental beliefs. She sat on the small porch, looking over the village. Everything looked so primitive, and mundane and insignificant. The village had such a slow pace while she was used to the lively city that never rested. She could have lived her entire life in this shithole.

There was a short knock on her door, and Mei reluctantly went to see who intruded her musing. She opened the door, to discover Vincent, holding two cups of steaming liquid. "They had hot chocolate downstairs. I figured you might want some." He said with a crooked smile, handing her one of the cups.

Mei took it gingerly giving him a thoughtful stare. Vincent's rare displays of affection were so confusing.

"Do you wish to be alone?" Vincent inquired, since they were still standing at the door and Mei did not invite him to stay.

Mei considered his question, and decided that his company was welcomed. "I spaced out for a moment. Join me on the porch, if you like."

They sat side by side on the tiny porch, gazing at the sky as it turned from purple to black. The night in Nibelheim was darker than in Midgar without the light pollution of the city. Vincent lit a cigarette and offered her another.

"I don't encourage your smoking, but I feel like we both need it right now." He said apologetically.

Mei took the cigarette eagerly, feeling slightly better after the first few puffs. "That's exactly what I needed."

"I trust you with my secrets, Mei. Will you trust me with yours?" Vincent asked, exhaling a perfect ring of smoke.

"You told me not to trust anyone." Mei replied casually.

"Correct answer." Vincent remarked, the slightest hint of pride in his voice.

"You're contradicting yourself by trusting me." Mei pointed out.

"It's different, I have nothing to lose. Or perhaps, there is one thing." Vincent countered, "You still have your whole life in front of you."

"What's that one thing?" Mei looked at him curiously.

Vincent was quiet for a long moment. Then he spoke softly. "You."

Mei was rarely emotional, but at that second she had to muster all of her self control to choke down the sob that threatened to escape her throat. She could not stop the tears though, they felt hot against her skin, sliding freely down her cheeks, Mei did not even bother to conceal them. Vincent did not flee at her display of emotions, nor did he scowl her for making herself vulnerable. Mei let her tired head lean against Vincent's shoulder, and he allowed it, sitting by her side until she fell asleep.

Mei assumed he carried her inside, since she woke up on the bed, still dressed in yesterday's clothes. The sunrise painted the sky orange, and Mei stretched her limbs and went for a shower. Fresh and clothed, she went downstairs to wait for Vincent, but her was already there, having his morning coffee. The trip back to Shinra was uneventful, with Vincent being his usual aloof self. His casual demeanor did not fool Mei, and she was well aware that their relations changed.

Mei was not ready to confronted her past in Nibelheim, but upon reaching Shinra she felt a nostalgic urge to visit the boarding school. A grin morphed on her face as she walked into the campus, her eyes following the hectic moves of the new infantry generation. They looked equally helpless and lost every year.

A shot was heard from nearby, and immediately another two. Mei loaded her gun, switching to her battle mode and cautiously advancing towards the source of the noise. Behind one of the barracks, she spotted an infantry sergeant standing above the dead body of a boy, not older than fourteen.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Mei roared, pointing her gun at the sergeant.

"Drumhead court-martial." The sergeant answered calmly.

"I wasn't aware we're at war." Mei said sarcastically.

"Then you are sorely uninformed for a Turk." He snapped at her.

Mei was having none of it. "Doubt me and you're inviting your own execution." Mei said cruelly, giving the sergeant her evil eye. "Why did you kill him?"

"Weapons were missing after his duty at the armory." The sergeant informed her, "We got information from the Turks that rebels were seen with Shinra riffles. The infantry commander instructed to execute anyone who is suspected of betrayal."

Mei had no idea what information he was talking about, and she certainly did not understand that crazy order to execute cadets based on arguable evidence. The sergeant was not lying about it, she could tell for sure. Something was alarmingly rotten, and the reek came from the highest levels in Shinra. Mei's eyes darted to the dead boy, a skinny blonde. She thought of Strife, and her stomach turned. Mei lowered her gun, looking at the sergeant sternly.

"I can verify the Turks, by no means, provided the infantry with such information." Mei stated confidently, "I suggest you use your better judgment the next time you consider to murder a kid based on circumstantial evidence."

The infantryman looked a bit shaken by her crude reproaching. Mei doubted it would change much, and walked away from the scene.

Things in Shinra were taking a very worrying turn.


	9. Chapter 9 - Draco Dormiens

**N/A: More Sephiroth screen-time!  
There are many hints at old school hiphop, and hardcore punk bands in this chapter.  
Those of you who can name all of them, win 1000 gil!**

**Chapter 9 - Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus, And Never Call Mei at 3 O'clock in the Morning**

It was a long day. Actually, it was a long week. Some Shinra superiors had traveled to Wutai in attempt to calm the unrest among the locals, and with the tension reaching a new peak since the Wutai war, it was a nerve-wrecking journey for Mei. Rufus, of course, was part of the negotiation team, which automatically provided that Mei was part of the security unit.

Mei had been in Wutai only once or twice before, and this was her first long-lasting stay. Her feelings were ambivalent. On the one hand, Mei had distinguishable Wutainese origins, and she was familiar with many of their traditions, allowing her to feel a certain sense of tranquility. One the other hand, the hate towards Shinra and everyone that represented the company was alarming. There was one thing she sensed, which was not ambiguous, and it was Wutai's undeniable spirituality.

It was as if the people of Wutai were forgotten by time, and while Midgar evolved into a greed-driven monster raising high above the humans with its skyscrapers, The Wutai area maintained its close connection to the earth, both literally and figuratively. The Wutai natives had something special, something Midgar lacked and Mei envied, and it was faith. Mei felt that perhaps losing that unique bond with the planet, caused people to lose a part of their humanity. She wondered how far did she stray from her origins.

The trip give her much food for thoughts, and took away an equal amount of energy. Mei returned to Shinra at nearly midnight, and collapsed into a dreamless sleep, that lasted only a few hours. Her PHS rang obnoxiously loud in the quietness of the night, and she fought the urge to slam it against a wall. She looked at the screen to see an unrecognized number, and answered just so she could write that person down in her to-kill list.

"Mei?" A slightly shaky voice asked.

"Speaking." Mei said formally, wondering who the fuck was calling her in the middle of the night, from an unknown number and addressing her by her first name.

"Can I come over?" The distress and desperation in the speaker's voice were striking.

"Who the fuck am I speaking to?" Mei nearly growled, looking at her clock, that boldly stated 03:47.

"Sephiroth."

Oh shit, was Mei's only coherent thought. "You can come over." Mei replied, and the conversation ended.

A moment later, a knock was heard on her door.

He was either light-speed quick, or he was standing in the hallway while calling her. Albeit Sephiroth's extensive abilities, Mei believed it to be the later. Mei rolled out of bed mindlessly and crossed her apartment to open the door. When a chilly wind blew from the corridor, Mei realized her state of undress. Fuck it, she saw him nude, he could deal with her wearing only panties and t-shirt.

"You came all the way here to stand in my doorway?" Mei asked, after a long moment of holding the door open while he stood frozen in the dark hallway.

Sephiroth finally stepped in, and Mei took a good look at him. He was in one of those awful hospital gowns again, barefoot, his hair wild and tangled and his eyes glowed with horror. He stood rigidly when he spoke. "I ran. I ran away from the lab. I couldn't take it anymore."

There was something completely unnatural about his constraint, as if he was holding himself together with the last remains of his strength, before falling apart. Mei pointed at her sofa, and obediently he sat down.

"What happened?" Mei inquired, taking a seat beside him.

"Hojo was messing with my head. I can take all the pain he could possibly inflict on my body, but that was ...pushing my sanity." Sephiroth said with a shiver. "I have these flashbacks, of people I killed, crying and begging and shitting themselves out of fear..."

He leaned his elbows on his knees, burying his face in his palms. "I hear their voices in my head, and I smell burnt flesh wherever I go." He took a deep breathe, trying to calm down. "I taste blood when I drink water...I just can't...I can't...any longer."

Sephiroth was visibly shaking then, and Mei got up and went straight for her medical supply. She sized him up, trying to guess his weight, and decided he could totally handle two Valiums. Mei filled a glass with water and took the pills, returning to his side.

"Take it." Mei ordered with all the authority she could muster. In Sephiroth's weakened state, it was enough for him to silently obey.

"Do you want to eat, shower, anything?" Mei inquired, after he downed the pills.

"I just...I want it to be over. I want to sleep." Sephiroth replied weakly.

Well, 20 mg of Valium should definitely help him with that. Mei motioned him to follow her to the bedroom, acutely aware she was giving him a clear display of her half naked ass. In his troubled state, and with his sexual orientation, Mei was feeling a little less mortified by that.

"Wait," She told him when he stepped near her bed, "You're not getting inside my bed with that disgusting cloth. Hojo germs and all."

Sephiroth looked at her puzzled. "Give me a moment." Mei said, pulling on a pair of pants that was thrown on the floor. She opened the large window above her bed, and climbed onto the windowsill. Carefully holding unto the protrusions of the building's outer wall, she placed her feet on the marble ledge. It was slippery and Mei cursed herself for not putting on shoes, but it was too late to go back. She slowly slid towards the window of the neighboring apartment, where Reno dried his clothes on a clothes line. Mei snatched a boxer from the rope, and held it with her teeth, while using both of her arms to safely return to her apartment.

Sephiroth gawked at her when she climbed back inside, handing him the stolen underwear. "It's clean." Mei ensured him, when he did not make a move.

"You buildered out of the fifteenth floor to get me underwear." Sephiroth stated with disbelief.

"Puh, it's not the first time I steal Reno's shit." Mei dismissed him lightheartedly.

Sephiroth took the boxer from her, staring at her like she was the mentally unstable one. He wore it beneath the gown, before tearing the offensive garment off. Mei pulled off her pants, and slithered into her bed, the exhaustion taking over her once the adrenaline rush was fading. Her back hit the mattress and it felt divine, just to let her body rest. The bed shifted slightly when Sephiroth laid down, immediately searching for her.

Unlike the previous times, no permission was asked, and it was not Mei who reached for him. Sephiroth buried his face in her neck, holding onto her like his life depended on it. He smelled like the labs, his grip was nearly bruising, and Mei was really too tired to deal with the situation. But when he started to silently sob into her hair, his entire body trembling, Mei placed a comforting hand against his back, while the other one stroke his face and hair soothingly. Hojo was so going to pay for it.

Her PHS was vibrating beside her and she blindly reached for it, seeing similar messages from Tseng, Vincent and Zack about Sephiroth's escape from the lab. Mei replied to all of them, that Sephiroth was staying with her and asked Zack to drop by in the morning and bring Sephiroth clothes. Wishing the night held no more surprises for her, Mei continued to comfort Sephiroth until his terror faded into exhaustion.

It took a while for Mei to realize the annoying buzz was not part of her dream, but someone ringing her door bell. She opened her eyes to see a pale chest, and her attempt to get away was blocked by a vice grip on her waist. After a futile struggle, Mei kicked Sephiroth hard in the shin, which was not enough to wake him but allowed her to escape his grasp. It took a while until she managed to blindly navigate to her door, opening it and noticing a bag hanging on the door handle. Zack was no longer there. Thank Gaia for small miracles.

Mei dropped the bag on the floor near her bed, and slid under the covers where Sephiroth gazed at her behind half closed eyes. "Where did you go?" He asked sleepily.

"Zack brought you clothes." Mei replied grudgingly, "Go back to sleep, it's still early."

Sephiroth's response was to pull her back into his chest. Mei felt inspired to write a book about a day in a life of a teddy-bear. Admittedly, it was not such a bad experience, pressed against hard muscles and held securely in strong arms, and Mei was worried she might actually get used to it. The next time she woke up, Sephiroth was already awake, by the way his fingers played with her hair.

"I never saw you with your hair down." He said softly.

"It gets in the way." Mei retorted drowsily, his gentle caressing lulling her back to sleep. Unfortunately, she had work to do. She gave him a languid smile before saying. "We need to get up."

He nodded and pulled away from her, and Mei proceeded to the bathroom to take a desperately needed piss, and to wash her face. When she emerged from the bathroom, he was fully dressed, sitting on her bed. "Stuffed animals? Didn't think you'd have them."

Mei averted her gaze to the gray bunny on her nightstand. It was tattered and it used to be brown before fading into gray, but Mei still cherished it. "I only have this one. Vincent gave it to me on my first birthday in Shinra."

Something darkened in Sephiroth's eyes, the green glow turning murky.

"Want some coffee?" Mei offered, trying to end the awkward moment.

"Definitely." He replied quickly, eagerly.

Mei walked to her kitchen. "How do you have it?"

"Black."

"Like your soul." Mei said to herself, while boiling the water.

"I heard that." Sephiroth informed her.

Mei entered the living room with her hot chocolate and Sephiroth's black coffee, to find him examining her record collection. "I can easily see how our music preferences differ." Sephiroth took the cup from Mei, giving her a lop-sided smirk.

"Blame it on Vincent." Mei said laughingly. "He may look bourgeois and conservative, but deep down he's ghetto. Vincent is all about old-school hiphop – The Wutai Clan, Black Chocobo, Vanilla Icicle..."

Sephiroth gave her another one of his grim stares. "Vincent and you seem awfully close."

Mei narrowed her eyes at him. She did not like the sound of what Sephiroth was implying. "Vincent is the closest thing I have to family."

Sephiroth lowered his eyes, and whatever emotion he was feeling prior, it morphed into something else unnamed, but equally intense. "What about your relatives in Nibelheim?"

"I haven't seen them since I was four." Mei answered stiffly.

"Why?" He inquired.

"I'm not ready to face them." Mei shrugged, suddenly feeling like she really must sit down. "Two of my brothers died from the Mako exposure. I survived. It sounds stupid, but I kind of feel guilty. I'm afraid to deal with my mother's reaction."

"Do you think she might blame you for their deaths?" Sephiroth queried, seeming genuinely concerned.

"Yes. No. I don't know." Mei said, taking a sip from her drink for comfort. "It's not just that. It's how she is going to react to me. To what I became. I mean, we're not like them." Sephiroth's eyes locked with hers and she knew he understood what she meant. "I don't think I can handle being rejected."

"You're going to regret it, if you never try to re-establish your relations." Sephiroth stated sternly.

"Don't act so high and mighty." Mei sneered, "As if you got everything sorted out perfectly with your father."

Mei knew she stepped out of line. She would not have been surprised if Sephiroth just walked away and never talked to her again. She was intentionally offensive, using against him the personal issues he chose to share with her. But Sephiroth stayed where he stood, and watched her intently. Not only looking at her, like mostly people do, but actually seeing her.

"You're right." He said after a long pause. "I just think it's worth a shot. They couldn't possibly be worse than Hojo."

It took Mei a long moment to digest his reaction. And then she laughed, wholeheartedly and freely and relieved. Mei gazed at him, taking in the sight of his long, sculptured body leaning casually against the wall in her living room, and thought she could totally get used to having him around. She honestly felt like hugging him, for being his awesome self, but the moment was broken when her PHS rang.

"Morning, Vincent." Mei answered happily.

"It's nearly noon." Vincent said flatly. "How is Sephiroth?"

"Remarkably well, in comparison to last night." Mei reported. "I'll come over in fifteen minutes and fill you in."

"Roger." Vincent said curtly and hung up.

"I'm going to get ready real quick and then I'm off to the office." Mei informed Sephiroth, taking away his empty cup. "You can leave now, or you can stay here and listen to some good music."

Sephiroth snorted at that, and Mei quickly grabbed some clean clothes, putting them on and brushing her teeth simultaneously. She brushed her hair and effortlessly combed it into a Chignon, holding it up with pins. A few minutes later, she returned to the living room to see Sephiroth was still there. Taking her keys and PHS she gave him a questioning look.

"I'll walk you to your office." Sephiroth said, and showed himself out of her apartment.

"You're forfeiting a chance to expend your narrow musical world." Mei warned him as she locked the door behind her.

"You presume too much about my taste in music." Sephiroth said defensively.

"Please, I know your type." Mei said condescendingly, "You were going easy on me with the indie crap in your car, because you didn't think I could handle what you really listen to, which is punk rock and hardcore. I bet your favorite band is MDT (Millions of Dead Turks)."

Sephiroth chuckled at that, giving her an appreciative glance. "Close, but not quite. My favorite band is The Dead Shinras."

Mei was totally digging his humor. She let him know that. Sephiroth gave her a modest smile.

"I wish we could meet on less depressing circumstances, when I'm not pathetically ill." Sephiroth said hopefully, "So far I've been making a really bad impression of being a weeping little bitch."

Mei snickered, 'weeping little bitch' was a combination of words she definitely did not associate with Sephiroth. "We could hang out." Mei suggested.

"The carnival is next weekend, and Zack will surely force my hand into attending." Sephiroth said gloomily. "Would you like to join me, so we could be anti-social together?"

"Sounds like an offer I can't refuse." Mei chuckled, stopping in front of Vincent's office.

"I'll call you." Sephiroth promised, and quickly leaned down to give her a peck on the cheek. Before Mei managed to react, he was gone.

Mei gathered her wits, smoothed her suit and stepped into Vincent's office. He did not raise his head from the paperwork.

"That was seventeen minutes." He mentioned pettily.

"I got delayed." Mei said evasively.

"So I've heard." Vincent said, flipping through a file, "I'll remember not to schedule you on a mission this weekend, so you can attend your date with the general."

Mei blushed. "It's not a date."

"Sounded like one to me." Vincent countered.

"Come on, you read his file, you submitted some of the reports on his homosexual affairs!" Mei exclaimed.

"I suppose I did." Vincent admitted absentmindedly, and raised his head to look at her.

Mei gave him a look that was all "Seriously, man?".

Vincent smiled sheepishly.

"Have a seat." He instructed. "I want you to submit a report about last night's event. You are allowed to omit details that you consider...personal and irrelevant. But I will need a professional overview."

"Yes, sir." Mei nodded.

"Also, I want you to work on your Materia Casting." Vincent notified.

"What? But I'm horrible with Materia." Mei cried out.

"And that's precisely the reason I want you to improve it." Vincent said patiently. "So, you can find yourself a tutor, or I simply assign Reno to help you."

"No, please, not Reno!" Mei begged, mortified at the thought of Reno mocking her for her poor skills, taking his revenge for years of her taunting.

"I'm sure you can find help among your SOLDIER friends," Vincent remarked with a teasing smirk, "Now, let's go over the details of your next mission."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So I got the position I wanted, and now I'm teaching (physics, introduction to electrical engineering) in a military boarding school. **  
**I noticed people no longer review and perhaps I should be concerned that the story sucks.**  
**But I think it's awesome, and I'm actually concerned that people suck. **

**Chapter 8 - I'm Not Naming This Chapter Cause Humanity Sucks**

While Vincent was true to his word about not scheduling her on a mission for the weekend, he made sure to bust her ass during the week. Mei, Rude and Rod were sent to the Northern Cave Carter to escort a group of Shinra scientists. Tseng also tugged along, and he was the only one who knew what the actual mission was about. If there was something really infuriating, it was not knowing what the fuck you were protecting.

First they had to take a ship from Midgar northern port to Bone's village shore, which took only two hours but it was enough for Mei to become really sick. When they finally arrived, Mei was damning Vincent and his missions straight to hell. Rude drove in an armored vehicle in front of a huge track that carried some sort of container, while Tseng and the scientists followed behind. Mei and Rod, both armed to the teeth, escorted the convoy on motorcycles.

They spent four days guarding the stupid cave, not even allowed to enter it, except for Tseng. They slept in tents, and it was motherfucking cold that far to the north of the planet. But it was not the cold that unnerved Mei, it was the very primal, intuitive feeling that they should not be there, and they should not be doing whatever the hell they were doing. Unlike her Wutai experience, that place felt horribly foreign, or even alien, and essentially evil. They did not encounter anything spectacular except for a few vicious monsters, and Mei thanked Gaia when they left that daunting crater.

Tseng sat beside her on the sail back to Midgar. Mei vomited into a bag and wiped the remains of puke from her face. "I have a really bad feeling about this trip." Mei confessed, looking at her commander from the corner of her eye.

"You're simply sea-sick." Tseng outsmarted.

Mei rolled her eyes. "About the crater. I have a bad feeling about what Hojo's puppets were doing there."

Tseng looked at her sharply. "I share your feelings." He replied grimly.

Tseng certainly knew more than her, but he would not provide her with answers regarding the nature of the scientists' work. Whatever horrid research they were involved in, it was definitely beyond the boundaries of her imagination, if it made Tseng admit he was worried. Mei still tried to come up with ideas about what was going on. Tseng must have heard the wheels turning in her head.

"Mei, I must request you to give that matter no more thought." Tseng said, with his most serious expression. "Unintentionally and unknowingly, you are already involved deeply in a very dangerous affair. Vincent and I do our best to protect you."

"What? Why aren't you telling me anything?" Mei cried out, looking at Tseng with torn eyes.

"The less you know, the better." Tseng said vaguely, determined not to look at her.

Mei could read Tseng well enough to understand that the conversation ended. It felt like crap, to be left in the dark. To be in danger and not even know what to fear. To not know how to defend herself.

Mei felt helpless.

Mei felt lonely.

And honestly, Mei was scared shitless by the new information.

When she got back to Shinra, she felt like her head was going to explode with the overload of thoughts, and her heart was about to burst with the vast span of emotions she was feeling. Even though she felt sick as a dog, Mei went to her office and read her file. She used one of Vincent's passwords to excess some information she was not authorized to see, and went over the files concerning the terrible accident that brought her to Shinra. Crossing the data with what she had seen in her mission on the Shinra mansion, Mei reached some disturbing realizations, and there were more...vagues thoughts in the very back of her mind, abstract ideas that she could not yet grasp. She knew eventally all those scattered pieces would come together, and the bigger picture would be clearer.

But until that, all she could feel was panic.

Mei turned her music player to maximum volume and went for a run around the Shinra complex. She stopped counting the laps after a while, and tried to ignore the pain in her muscles and her growing nausea. All she wanted was her heart to beat so fast it would stop feeling anything other than the rush of blood, and her pulse to pound so hard in her head it would silence her cerebration.

What seemed like hours later, she collapsed to her knees, unable to take another step. Mei was sure the tears of frustration would come streaming down her face any second, but they never did. She felt like she was going to choke.

"Hey Mei!" Fair's voice came out of nowhere, "You look like shit."

Mei had no more energy to be pissed at him. She gave him a broken smile. Fair wore the standard Shinra uniform with jogging shoes, and was looking rather sweaty himself. He knelt down beside her.

"Wanna tell me what happened?" Fair asked gently.

"Just on of these days." Mei replied obscurely. "Being a Turk is draining life style."

"I don't even know how you manage it," Fair admitted, "It always seemed like a very lonely life, to keep all those secrets like Turks do."

Fair's words certainly hit Mei close to home. She nodded, before covering her face with her palms.

"Want to cry on my shoulder?" Fair offered.

"No."

"Wanna cry on Cloud's shoulder? I can call his PHS and he'll be here in a few moments." Fair suggested playfully.

"No."

"Wanna cry on Seph's shoulder? He's got amazing shoulders, no homo." Fair mentioned.

Mei let out a chuckle, uncovering her face. She nodded her head negatively.

"Come on, let's go have dinner in the SOLDIER dining room. I think you could use a good meal after running yourself to exhaustion." Fair remarked, pulling her to stand.

Standing was rather difficult, Mei discovered, after one outruns himself. Being powerless as she was, Mei did not argue and simply followed Fair.

* * *

Mei limped to her apartment, so tired that she actually took a shower sitting on plastic stool in the shower stall. She crawled into bed, placing her sore feet on a pile of pillows when her PHS rang. Mei recognized the number as Sephiroth's.

"Hello." Mei said lamely.

"Zack said you nearly killed yourself today on the tracks." Sephiroth informed her casually, "This does not excuse you from attending the carnival tomorrow."

"Aye-Aye general." Mei replied with a smile.

"Something happened? You seem too level-headed to overtax yourself for no reason." Sephiroth pointed out.

"Sort of...Not really. Maybe, but not something I'm comfortable discussing on the phone." Mei said worriedly.

"Always a Turk." Mei could imagine Sephiroth smirking on the other end of the line. "Do you need anything? Food, Cure, good whiskey?"

Mei snickered at that. "The whiskey sounds rather tempting but I'm going to fall asleep way before you get here."

"I'll let you rest." Sephiroth said, sounding a bit concerned. "I'm picking you up tomorrow at 19:00."

Mei simply adored how he pronounced it as 'nineteen hundred' and not as 'seven o'clock' or any other phrase normal people used. Sephiroth was a soldier with every fiber of his body and it was endearing how he spoke like a military man even concerning the most civilian things. He was so socially retarded!

Mei fell asleep the moment the conversation ended, and passed the majority of the following day in lazing in bed, listening to music, taking an outrageously long shower and trying to flatten the mess of curls that was her hair. No matter what she tried, it returned to its curly state and Mei finally gave up on it and combed into an elegant twist held by a hairpin.

Not even one second after 19:00, her doorbell rang and Mei pulled on her favorite leather jacket and opened the door. Mei realized she was staring a moment too late, and tried to concentrate on not drooling. Sephiroth wore a white dress shirt that was half tucked into his dark jeans, with the two top buttons open to reveal his pale chest, a casual jacket on his arm. And sneakers! The general of Shinra was in possession of sneakers!

Mei let out a low whistle. "You're definitely going to need VIP protection tonight."

Sephiroth grinned. "I have you for that, don't I?"

Mei pictured herself fighting a mob of horny Sephiroth groupies. This was not how she previously envisioned her night. Mei sulked. "This is supposed to be my day off."

"If it's any consolation, I will suffer just as much as you do." Sephiroth joked bitterly.

He offered her his arm, and she took it, walking to the parking lot to meet the rest of the party. Naturally, they were the first to arrive, because they were the only ones that realized the importance of being punctual. They stood in silence, Sephiroth looking at her, while Mei looked at anything but him. A quick hand reached over her head and pulled her hairpin, causing her ban to come apart, and her curls to cascade down her back.

"Hey! What was that for?" Mei shrieked, trying to snatch back her hairpin.

Sephiroth simply placed it in the pocket of his jacket. "I prefer your hair this way."

Mei gawked at him. He preferred her hair down. Blast him to bloody gay hell, like he had any right to dictate her how to wear her hair. She was going to attack him, but then it dawned on her that it was Sephiroth and she did not stand a chance. Her shoulder slouched with defeat, glaring at the powerful man in front of her.

"Hey guys!" Fair's voice interrupted her bitter thoughts. "Your hair looks really nice like that, Mei!"

"Yeah, it makes you look less uptight." Strife chimed in.

A micro-second later each of them had a loaded gun pointed to his head. Strife's eyes were wider as saucers, and Fair visibly paled. Mei heard Sephiroth chuckle behind her. She took a deep calming breathe, unloaded her guns, and hid them beneath her jacket.

"Sweet Gaia, who got you so cranky?" Fair asked warily.

"He did." Mei glared at Sephiroth.

"He's only getting you into a foul mood so you can mope together." Fair winked.

First Class officers Hewley and Genesis, and a few other Second Class were heading their way. Mei usually addressed anyone who was not a Turk by his last name, but Genesis' last name was so annoying she could not refer to him by it, even in her mind. They took the train to Midgar center because taking a car in the day of the carnival was suicidal, and also because most of them were planning on getting seriously drunk. Mei imagined it to be a rather disgusting sight.

The carnival was a bliss to some people, but unfortunately not for Mei. The dancers were decent, but the customs were ridiculous. And the music was too loud and sounded like a cacophony of trumpets, drums and parrots. And she did not even start complaining about how crowded it was. Mei was not impressed.

"Why don't people shower regularly?" Sephiroth wrinkled his nose.

"Why so many of them wear nothing but fucking feathers?" Mei cringed at an overweight man, shaking his massive body to the rhythm with nothing but a feather loin cover.

"Disgusting."

"And they call it culture."

"Humanity had certainly sank into a new ebb."

"Why are we even here?"

"We must have sinned in our previous lives."

Sephiroth and Mei continued their grumpy grumble until Fair, who was dancing beside them, turned to them and screamed. "Please stop it, you make me want to kill myself."

Simultaneously, Sephiroth and Mei crossed their arms over their chest, giving him their best glare. Fair rolled his eyes at them and resumed his dancing. A while later the parade proceeded to a different sector and the party headed to the carnival fair. Mei noticed a few interesting facts. First, Strife was gazing at Sephiroth doe-eyed, and it was so obvious she was certain even Sephiroth noticed. Second, Hewley was the quietest SOLDIER she had ever met, and she wondered how could he possibly be Fair's mentor. Third, Genesis was constantly seeking Sephiroth attention and while the general did not exactly reject Genesis's attempts, he by no means encouraged them. Mei assumed they might had been, or still were, involved.

Mei could not resist the urge to participate in the shooting contest, and being a professional sniper, it was an easy walk in the park to win. Her prize was a coupon for ten pints of beer, which she gave to Fair and the rest of the SOLDIER to use.

"You're the best Turk in the world!" Kunsel gushed, and hurried to pick up his pint.

"You're sure you don't want a beer?" Sephiroth asked her.

"No."

"Why? Are you abstaining?" Fair queried enthusiastically.

"I just think any beverage with less than 40 percent alcohol is simply a waste of place in my stomach." Mei replied with a grin.

"I can get you something stronger." Sephiroth suggested.

"I'd like that on any other occasion, but the crowds make me nervous and I really intend to keep an eye on you." Mei said apologetically.

"I have enough eyes on me as it is." Sephiroth said quietly, glancing at Strife.

"A severe case of hero worship, plus he thinks you're good looking." Mei explained casually. "Can't blame the kid."

"So you think I'm good looking?" Sephiroth wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Don't fish for compliments." Mei said curtly.

But there were others that were completely fine with showering the general with compliments, and they were throwing themselves at him a second later.

"Oh my Gaia! It's Sephiroth!" A red headed girl screamed.

"You're so perfect!" Another one exclaimed.

A crowd of teenage girls was surrounding Sephiroth, carrying on about how sexy, famous and badass he was. Mei enjoyed watching him squirm uncomfortably under the attention, but when one of the girl started feeling up his broad chest, Sephiroth sent Mei a begging glance.

"Girls, I'll have to ask you to leave." Mei announced with the voice she saved specially for such occasions, pouring into it all of her Turk authority.

The girl with the wandering hands was not impressed. "And who are you to ask such thing?"

Mei pulled out her Turk badge and shoved it in the girl's face. "Turk Mei-Xing Han, VIP protection." Mei barked. "Now, either you remove yourself from here, or I will do it, and I swear I'll make it painful for you."

Her threat was convincing enough for them to scatter away, and Sephiroth let a sigh of relief. "Did you really have to take so long before you intervened?"

"Yes. I enjoy watching you agonize." Mei retorted nastily, still bitter over her hairpin incident.

"Care for a ride on the Ferris wheel?" Sephiroth proposed.

"I don't particularly enjoy heights." Mei admitted.

"All the more reason to have a ride." He smirked, and pulled her by the hand towards the Ferris wheel. Mei protests proved useless and she found herself squashed with Sephiroth in the tiny seat that was so obviously designed for couples who were comfortable with sharing such a little space. The mortification of nearly seating on Sephiroth's lap was soon replaced by anxiety when the Ferris wheel carried them higher. Mei hid her face in her hands.

Sephiroth gently peeled her hands off, forcing her to look at the view, the lights of Midgar at their feet. It was a breathtaking sight, but Mei could only think how much she did not trust the mechanic who handled that piece of junk they called Ferris wheel, and how any moment they might fall to their deaths.

"Relax, Mei." Sephiroth soothed her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I can ensure your safety even if the wheel collapses this very moment. You can thank Hojo for that." He added cynically.

That thought was indeed comforting, but it reminded her that she still had to confront Hojo about his treatment of Sephiroth. It could wait until next week though, and Mei allowed herself to enjoy the pleasant atmosphere.

"I'm sorry I forced you into this," Sephiroth said quietly, "I just desperately needed to put some distance between me and …everyone else."

Mei gave him an understanding smile and leaned her head against this shoulder. She could not help but wonder how come Sephiroth and her got along so well, both of them being hardcore misathropes. Perhaps one would say they were fortunate to be assigned together, but after some years in Shinra Mei lost her faith in luck. There were no coincidences in Shinra.

They passed the rest of the ride in a comfortable silence and then joined the rest of the SOLDIERs, getting some hotdogs. Genesis immediately sat himself beside Sephiroth, and Mei joined Strife, who was eying the two First Class nervously.

"You really have to stop staring at him." Mei told Strife quietly.

"What? I wasn't sta-" Strife was quickly cut off by Mei.

"-You were, and it's completely understandable. If I were a man, I'd totally be gay for Sephiroth."

Strife sighed dreamily. "He's gorgeous, right?"

"Yes, he is." Mei agreed. "But he's also a human being, and he doesn't enjoy being stared at like he's part of a fucking circus."

Strife nodded and bowed his head in shame, staring at his hotdog.

"How's your SOLDIER training going?" Mei changed the subject, and Strife's eyes abruptly lit.

"Really good! It's every thing I ever dreamed of and Zack is so amazing!" Strife raved, "He is the best Materia teacher ever, last week..." Mei allowed Strife to babble on, while watching the general closely as he joined the other First Class officers for the high striker competition. Thinking that both Hewley and Genesis were enough to protect the general temporally in case of an attack, she returned her attentions to Strife.

"Do you think it would be alright if I joined your Materia tutorials with Fair? Vincent said that if I don't improve, he would force me to take lessons from Reno." Mei whined.

"Of course you can join us!" Strife said happily.

That moment the bell at the top of the tower rang, and Mei noticed Sephiroth with a hammer in his hand, looking like some northern god of thunder. Letting Sephiroth take a strength test was completely ridiculous, but then Mei participated in the shooting competition so it would be hypocritical of her to laugh at him.

The First Class SOLDIERs returned, and Sephiroth stopped in front of her, handing her a white rabbit toy. "A companion to your bunny, so he won't be lonely anymore." Sephiroth said earnestly, and his eyes were full of meaning.

Mei looked at the bunny, and looked at Sephiroth, and understood the underlying meaning behind his statement. Mei leaped forward to hug him, burying her face in his chest so no one would see her moist eyes. It was the cutest friendship offer she had ever gotten, perhaps because it was the only offer, but it was still exciting to find something sincere and good inside Shinra. Sephiroth hugged her back as she mumbled a soft "Thank you."

Fair and some of the others were making awfully cute "Owwww" voices, so they pulled apart awkwardly. Mei determinedly stared at her shoes, waiting for the moment to pass. She was also beginning to feel tired and home-sick. Or at least, sick of people.

"I still cannot understand, what exactly are you doing here with us?" Genesis asked acidly, stepping beside Sephiroth and looking very possessive.

"Bodyguarding your boyfriend, since you're obviously too much of a pussy to do it yourself." Mei spat with venom, looking the ginger right in the eye. It was true that all red-heads were soulless.

"Burn!" Fair yelled at Genesis, making some sizzling noises.

Sephiroth took one step away from Genesis. "He is not my boyfriend." He said icily.

Mei felt she was getting into dangerous territory there, listening to her Turk sixth sense, she decided to withdraw. "I'll let you SOLDIERs sort out things between you. Good night."

"Wait." Sephiroth said, and made a move towards her when Genesis grabbed his arm. Sephiroth looked back at him coldly. "Why don't you go find Rufus? He might actually enjoy your zealousness."

Genesis let go of Sephiroth's arm as if he was burned, and Sephiroth began to walk away from the group. "Let's go, Mei." He said flatly.

They made it to the train station in silence. "I totally feel like I stepped into a lover's quarrel." Mei remarked gingerly.

Sephiroth snorted. "Genesis doesn't even know what love means."

"And you do?" Mei asked boldly.

Sephiroth stared at her pointedly for a long moment. "Perhaps I don't either." He said morbidly. "Genesis and I are not involved. Rufus and him have been in a torrid, unstable affair for years, and every time he fights with Rufus, Genesis comes to me."

"And you don't mind it?" Mei was really surprised they were having that conversation.

Sephiroth shrugged. "It's just sex. Genesis is attractive." He stated with no emotions.

"Don't you want something more?"

"There is no more than that, for me." Sephiroth said darkly, and Mei did not press the matter.

They sat side by side on the train, each to his own thoughts. Mei examined her new bunny and wondered how that gift was going to effect her life. She did not argue when he walked her to her apartment, and again they stood awkwardly outside her door.

"So, can I have my hairpin back?" Mei asked, shuffling her feet.

"No, I think I'm going to keep it." Sephiroth smirked shamelessly.

"Next time, I'm leaving you completely at the mercy of your groupies." Mei threatened hotly.

"Next time, I will take you somewhere less crowded." Sephiroth promised.

Mei smiled at the thought of hanging out with Sephiroth alone. He moved a stray curl from her face, and kissed her cheek, lingering a little too long than necessary. Sephiroth bid her goodnight and walked away, leaving Mei to stare at his brilliant silver hair swaying behind him.


	11. Chapter 11 - Nervous Breakdown

**A/N: Shout-out to those who comment! When doomsday arrives, I shall spare your blessed souls. **  
**Mei is starting to lose it, and Sephiroth is there to keep her together. **

**Chapter 11 - Nervous Breakdown, Nibelheim Style**

Mei made a list of pros and cons, debating whether she should kill Hojo and it went like this.

Pros:

He was ugly as fuck

He shot Vincent

He used Vincent as a test subject

He abused Sephiroth since his birth

He didn't do anything productive or revolutionary in the last years

Cons:

Sephiroth would be pissed at her

Vincent would be pissed at her

Tseng would be pisses at her

She might be fired from Shinra

Mei was still considering if someone's ugliness was a legitimate reason to kill him. Usually, she would not hold someone's challenged aesthetics against him, but Hojo's case was borderline. Putting this aside, the pros and cons evened out, and Mei remained conflicted. She dozed off, contemplating many possibilities to get rid of Hojo with no traces, not even noticing when someone stepped into her office. Because it was locked, Gaia damn it, and no one was supposed to enter it. This, apparently, did not apply to Vincent.

"Don't kill Hojo." Vincent said flatly.

"What the fuck, can you read minds?" Mei cried out, looking at him with horror.

"No, I can read notes." Vincent remarked, pointing at the list on her desk.

"How did you even get into my office? I'm certain I locked it." Mei glared at him suspiciously.

"A professional secret." Vincent sat down before her desk, "Now, do you really want a lecture about how reckless you're being?"

"No." Mei uttered gloomily.

"Too bad, you definitely earned one." Vincent informed her formidably. "You're getting attached and it's dangerous. We covered that many times before. How can I possibly get that message into your thick skull?"

"Try with the Cerberus." Mei replied bitterly. Vincent was not amused. "Maybe I'm just not fit for a life of solitude like you do."

"Maybe you're not fit to be a Turk." Vincent said harshly.

"Maybe you're right." Mei spat, throwing her Turk badge on the desk and storming out of the room.

The Shinra headquarters was the tallest building on Gaia, towering for over a hundred stories, and the roof was the best viewpoint Midgar could offer. Mei went to sit there because it was always deserted, and since it held a false sense of freedom that was comforting, even though Mei realized it was just another part of her cage. Mei smoked cigarettes in chains, and pondered over her conversation with Vincent. It was not like they would let her simply drop out of Shinra, and by tomorrow the badge would show up miraculously in her apartment, with an attached note about her next mission.

Mei was much more concerned about the pros she did not dare to mention in her list. She did not realize it immediately upon seeing it, but only after she reread her file, and other notes about the accident in the Nibelheim Mako reactor. The area of the Mako contamination was not as close to the reactor as it was to the mansion, and its basement facilities. They passed there twice, and Mei remembered water pooling at the cracked ground. An aquifer.

It was not some technical failure in the reactor, unexpected and unavoidable. It was a long-lasting negligence resulting in the contamination of a water source. And the Mako probably leaked from the basement, from Hojo's laboratory. Mei made a note to check all documents about death rates, illness incidence and mutations in Nibelheim. Mei leaned against the metal railing, letting the wind whip her face and blow into her the liveliness she was lacking.

There was another issue. Tseng and Vincent's warnings kept haunting her, combined with the startling revelation about the Turks submitting to Hojo's caprices for the sake of inner Shinra work-relations. Her only connection to the science department was Sephiroth, and Mei could not help but wonder if choosing her to take care of him was a well placed trap.

But then, Mei heard footsteps. Nobody ever went to the roof, and she had a good reason to assume if someone was there, he was looking for her. Not taking any chances, Mei pulled out her guns, and crouched behind one of the huge air-conditioning pumps.

"It's fucking freezing up here." Mei heard someone mutter, and the voice was familiar enough for her to put her guns down and step out of her cover.

"How did you find me?" Mei asked coldly.

"Vincent told me you'd be here." Sephiroth replied, stepping closer to her. He took her hand, and placed her badge in her palm.

"I went here with the intention of being alone, and I left the budge on the desk, for a reason." Mei remarked harshly.

"So you can plan Hojo's murder better?" Sephiroth quipped, equally malicious.

"Stay out of my affairs." Mei responded, narrowing her eyes dangerously at him.

"They become my affairs too, once you consider assassinating my father!" Sephiroth yelled at her, his face twisted in anger.

Mei froze upon seeing Sephiroth so out of control. It made her wonder, if she was out of control as well. She was so used to killing, that it did not mean anything to her any longer. One moment a man was alive, and another moment he was dead, as simple as that. Had she lost all appreciation to life that she was ready to murder for her own satisfaction, for her own revenge?

His green eyes were burning, but the heat faded gradually. All of the rage cooled down to a poignant disappointment. "I will kill you if you hurt him." He stated, after a long silence.

Mei could not understand why he was so protective of Hojo. She could not imagine defending a bastard who tormented, degraded and dehumanized her for her entire life. But Sephiroth remained loyal to his wicked father. In Mei's mind, the thought of causing Sephiroth such a grievous loss was far more frightening than dying at his hands.

"It would be an honor to die by your sword." Mei bowed her head slightly.

Clearly, it was not the reaction he was expecting. Sephiroth was about to protest, to persuade her, but Mei held her hand up to silence him. "There are many layers to the revenge I seek." Mei explain, calmly. "And I think I am yet to discover more reasons to fuel my vengeance."

"However, you have my word that I would not harm Hojo, as long as you feel so strongly about him." Mei promised him, and that promise would prove to be a very hard one to keep.

Sephiroth gaped at her, confused. "Why?"

"Because you're important." Mei answered softly.

"To whom? To Shinra?" Sephiroth asked with contempt.

Mei sent him a sad smile. "To me."

He stared at her, as if not understanding the meaning of her words. Mei let out a sigh and walked past him, towards the stairs leading back inside the building.

"Wait." Sephiroth requested quietly, and Mei halted with her back to him. "I'm deployed to Wutai tomorrow..." He said nervously.

"Oh." Mei turned to face him.

"Yeah."

They stood silently for a while, stealing glances at each other, wishing to say something but not quite sure how to phrase it. Sephiroth opened his mouth to speak, and closed it a moment later, letting out a sigh instead.

"No more 'Sephiroth duty'." Mei joked, but her expression was sullen.

Sephiroth failed to smile. "I'll call you anyway."

Mei simply nodded.

"Don't freak out while I'm gone." He told her sternly. "I know you have a lot on your mind lately. You can talk to me."

"Vincent says I shouldn't trust you." Mei recited weakly.

"Vincent is a huge prick." Sephiroth smirked, repeating the very same words she used against Hojo.

Mei could not resist feeling miserable. She allowed Sephiroth to guide her down, as they both descended to the filthy floor, and did not argue when he pulled her to sit between his spread leg, leaning her back against his chest and wrapping his arms around her.

"You taught me this isn't weakness." Sephiroth said softly to her ear.

"What if I'm wrong?" Mei whispered fearfully.

"I don't care."

"Things in Shinra change for the worse." Mei said, her voice barely audible. "The infantry is convinced we're at war, based on information supposedly provided by the Turks."

"SOLDIERs are deployed to Wutai due to unusual underground activity, according to infantry reports." Sephiroth said flatly.

"And I think...I think I was assigned to you as a mean for the Turks to infiltrate SOLDIER." Mei voiced one of her greatest fears.

Sephiroth was silent for a long while, and Mei waited anxiously for his reaction. She was scared he would distance himself from her, and at the same time angry with herself for becoming so accustomed to his company.

"What makes you think so?" He inquired eventually.

"Vincent constantly tried to warn me about befriending people in Shinra, but he is always so cryptic." Mei said frustratingly. "Tseng also hinted at something, about me being a pawn in a power struggle. And us... we actually get along, while mostly, we barely manage to maintain basic human interactions." Mei paused for a moment. "They have our psychological profile, analyzed by Shinra's greatest experts. I don't really believe in coincidence."

"Your theory sounds reasonable, but why would Tseng and Vincent worry for you if it only concerns the Turks? With their influence combined, they could protect you even from Veld." Sephiroth countered.

"That's where you're wrong." Mei argued darkly. "There were times, when Turks disappeared and were used in Hojo's lab, and Veld turned a blind eye to keep the fragile relations between the departments."

Mei closed her eyes, hoping that her conspiracies were all false. "Sephiroth, all those times in the labs, when Hojo tested you, what exactly did he try to find out?"

"My limits. Physical and mental. And..." Sephiroth drifted away, his body tensing behind her. "...Ways to control me."

"Exactly." Mei said dolefully.

Sephiroth laughed darkly. "So they plan to manipulate me, using you?"

"Assuming you developed a strong enough attachment, yes." Mei replied hesitatingly.

"That's sick and brilliant and typically Hojo." Sephiroth admitted. "I can see why you wanted to kill him. I still won't allow it though."

Mei snorted.

"I simply won't give them any reasons to use you." Sephiroth stated. "I never meant to go against Shinra anyway, it's not like I'm suitable for any other life than this."

"I think you can be much more than a soldier. I think you already are." Mei commented, craning her neck to look at him.

Sephiroth smiled gingerly, his eyes brightening with something akin to self-worth. He seemed like he has been waiting to hear those words forever, while he was constantly reduced to nothing but a weapon. "Stay with me tonight."

Mei was confused. They just discussed how dangerous their friendship was and he was offering to strengthen the bond. The right move would be to distance themselves from each other and to lead Shinra to believe their scheme failed. Or at least, it was the Turks' choice of action, the one Vincent hoped she would take. SOLDIERs, apparently, did it differently.

"Ok." Mei said determinedly.

Sephiroth jumped to his feet, pulling her with him. "I need to finish packing. Come over in an hour?"

Mei nodded, and they left the roof top, going separate ways. She navigated to her apartment like a trained dog, not thinking of the way as much as feeling it. Her mind was void from thoughts and overly occupied with them at the same time, and she could not focus on a particular one, while a comforting, reassuring wave of serenity washed through her. Mei mindlessly packed fresh clothes for the following day, and took a shower, floating on a cloud of placidity, which was very unlike her neurotic self.

When Mei arrived at Sephiroth's place, he was fresh out of the shower, wearing nothing but a pair of loose pants hanging low on his waist, and a towel around his wet hair. "You came." He sounded surprised.

"I said I would." Mei cocked an eyebrow. "Did you think I'd bail on you?"

Sephiroth rubbed his neck. "Yeah. The would be the Turk thing to do."

"I got in touch with my SOLDIER side." Mei replied with a smirk.

"Can I get in touch with your SOLDIER side?" Sephiroth winked.

Mei gave him a rough shove and made her way to the couch. Taken by surprise, he actually stumbled back one step.

"You'd make a decent SOLDIER." Sephiroth chuckled.

"Apparently, I would not make a decent Turk." Mei said bitterly, dropping to the couch with unnecessary force.

"Said who?"

"Vincent." Mei answered, casting her eyes down.

"So that's why you've been hiding on the roof, looking murderous." Sephiroth commented, taking a seat beside her.

"Among others things, yeah." Mei admitted. "I feel better now, though."

"Good, because I got this rare documentary about first wave hardcore bands, including exclusive interviews and unreleased tracks." Sephiroth informed her. "We're going to watch it."

"That sounds so appealing." Mei said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"It's my last night here, I want to enjoy my favorite things." Sephiroth smiled at her timidly, making both of them blush.

Mei dozed off half an hour into the film, already curled in Sephiroth's arms. She felt the vibrations of his chest as he hummed the tunes, the warmth of his body surrounding her and the completely unfamiliar sense of security flowing through her body. She tried to protest when he picked her up and carried her to bed after the film was over, but he reminded her he was Sephiroth and resistance was futile. They held each other as they drifted off to sleep, and Mei held onto consciousness as long as she could, just to memorize how his embrace felt like.

At 05:00 the alarm clock buzzed and Sephiroth removed his hand from her waist and slammed it blindly. They lied still for a moment or two, and Mei blushed at the horrible realization; with their bodies pressed together, it was impossible to avoid the hardness pressing against her stomach. Sephiroth's morning erection had Mei mortified beyond words, and even more so the fact that she found it insanely arousing. She prayed to Gaia Sephiroth's enhanced senses could not detect the moistness pooling between her legs.

Eventually, Sephiroth got out of bed, prancing around shamelessly with the visible bulge in his underwear, before disappearing into the bathroom. Mei buried her face in her hands, taking in calming breathes and trying to erase the memory from her brain. Feeling him hard against her sent a rush of passion through her body, but it quickly faded at the thought of how impractical it was.

Mei entered the bathroom once Sephiroth came out, brushing her teeth and changing to her work clothes. She found him in the kitchen, making himself coffee. A cup of hot chocolate was already on the table. They were both silent, brooding, stealing a few last glances and smiling warily at each other. Mei's heart felt heavy when he picked up his kitbag, and headed to the door. His eyes followed her when she exited his apartment, only momentarily looking away when he locked his door. Sephiroth seemed unsure of how to say goodbye.

"I'll walk you to the landing strip." Mei offered, delaying the inevitable. Sephiroth looked grateful.

It was still early, and there were fifteen minutes before the brief, yet a few SOLDIER officers were already there. Mei halted a few meters away from them, reluctant to make their private moment public. They stood facing each other, bravely managing to hold their gazes, and Mei realized how expressive Sephiroth's usually cold eyes can be.

Sephiroth raised a hand to caress her cheek with his knuckles. His fingers were rough, a soldier's fingers, and it felt brilliant against her soft skin. "There's a second part to the documentary we watched last night. We're going to watch it when I'm back."

His words held a promise, comforting and reassuring, and Mei appreciated the effort. "Popcorn's on me." Mei committed.

Sephiroth smiled daintily and took another half step closer, pulling her into a hug. Mei heard him sniff her again, which was a strange habit he had, but Sephiroth was such an oddball that she paid no mind to it. Their embrace lasted more than she expected, and the SOLDIERs started ooohing and ahhhing in the background. They pulled apart slowly, and Mei quickly placed one last kiss on Sephiroth cheek, before turning around and walking away. Even though she tried to fight the temptation, she still stole one last glance at him.

Sephiroth was staring right back at her.


	12. Chapter 12

**N/A: Some story stats - basically everyone who read up to chapter 3, kept reading the rest of the chapters.**  
**So I guess the first three chapters are some sort of intelligence filtering test. **  
**Congrats, you're smart if you read this. **  
**This is a fun chapter, like a bonus stage in Sonic, and next chapter things will get HOT.**

**Chapter 12 - No Title Since I Have a Terrible Migraine and I Can't Think of a Decent One**

"Good morning, Tseng." Mei greeted him energetically as she stepped into his office.

Tseng slowly averted his eyes from the computer to her. "Mei. What a ...pleasant surprise." Tseng said, unconvincingly. "I thought you will be absent today due to the women's day activities."

"Indeed. The bus is leaving in twenty minutes or so." Mei confirmed, taking a seat in front of his desk, "But I felt an urgent need to talk to you."

"You have my undivided attention now." Tseng said flatly.

"Remember all the things you asked me not to think about? Well, I suppose I did some reflecting after all." Mei bit her lips anxiously.

"I noticed your snooping. Accessing files with Vincent's password when he is away on a mission...I would expected a more refined work from a Turk." Tseng scowled her.

Mei blushed brightly. "I should have been more discreet about it, but I think I have the major things figured out. And since I already know more than I should know, there will be no harm if you helped out with the finer details."

Tseng considered her words for a lengthy while. "I might oblige to answer."

Mei took a deep breath. "I know it all revolves around Sephiroth." Mei stated and watched Tseng to see if her guess was correct. Obviously, Tseng's stoic face gave her no hints. "For starters, I want to know why there's such tension between the two of you."

"You make fine observations. Perhaps Vincent is not wasting his time on you after all." Tseng said with a teasing smirk. "You ask a rather personal question."

"It can't be that personal, you're straight." Mei countered, playful.

"You'd be surprised how personal things could get even without romantic involvement." Tseng remarked, and his face darkened slightly. "It happened years ago, when Sephiroth was still a SOLDIER cadet. The science department instructed that he would be socially isolated and forbade anyone from befriending him. Sephiroth was the ultimate weapon in making, and it was important to shape his personality to be unattached, unfeeling."

Tseng paused a moment, reminiscing. "I was a new Turk, eager to execute my first mission perfectly. I was ordered to befriend him, gain his trust and betray him in the cruelest way. I'd rather not specify." Tseng had the decency to look nearly ashamed. "Professor Hojo wanted to uproot human traits he considered as weakness, one of them was the basic need for emotional connection."

Oh yeah, Mei could totally see how it effected Sephiroth. Tseng's eyes were blank when he spoke again. "I scarred him, mentally, in the worse way possible. Years later, he discovered I did it because I was instructed to do so by my superior. Though we maintain a good professional relationship, I am afraid he would never forgive me."

"Was it hard?" Mei asked softly, saddened by the story.

"Yes. I displayed my own weakness by actually becoming fond of him. I had no doubts about completing the mission though." Tseng confessed.

"I wouldn't be able to...you know, sell him out." Mei blurted out, shakily.

"I realize that. Vincent predicted it from the very beginning." Tseng said thoughtfully. "It's one of the things that puts you in great danger."

"Vincent is disappointed in me." Mei uttered bitterly.

"Vincent is simply worried." Tseng corrected her. "I suppose he got emotionally involved despite constantly preaching against it."

Tseng actually smiled when he said it. Tseng smiled. He smiled. Mei would never imagine he was physically capable of smiling. Noticing her shocked state Tseng added. "The bus would be leaving without you if you keep gawking at me."

Mei jumped from her seat. "Yes, sir. Have a good day."

"Happy women's day." Tseng said politely.

Mei bolted out of his office, getting on the bus seconds before it departed. Cloud saved her a seat beside him. "I really have no idea how you dragged me into it."

"I reminded you how lonely you are since Zack was sent to Wutai." Mei replied with an evil grin.

It was true. Cloud had been incredibly sullen since Zack left, and in order to fill the emptiness caused by Zack's absence, Cloud delved into his SOLDIER training with passion. Cloud wanted to surprise Zack by making a dramatic progress, and Mei joined him often in his Materia practices. Somehow, in those times spent together, Strife turned to Cloud and she even referred to Fair by his given name. Her bind with Cloud revolved around their Materia studies, and about having someone they cared for in Wutai.

Mei had come to admit that she longed for Sephiroth's company. True to his word, Sephiroth did call her, but his phone was rarely charged, and getting a line was always a problem. There was also the time difference, and often when he could finally call her, it was a late night hour in Midgar, so he would just text her something, letting her know she was on his mind. Mei smiled to herself, she was on his mind quite a lot, according to how frequently he contacted her. Two times a week was their average.

"So, what is expecting us today?" Mei looked intently on the program in his hand.

Cloud opened it and read aloud. "First, we're heading to a luxurious breakfast in which we are to discuss means to women empowerment. Then we go the spa, for beauty treatments and massage, and after that we have a meditation class."

"So far it sounds alright." Mei was pleasantly surprised.

"We have lunch at some fancy restaurant with a name I can't pronounce, and then we have a desert making workshop with the chef. We go back to Shinra in the afternoon to get some rest and on the evening we go to Midgar for a "ladies only" night at a club."

"My opinion of Cissney just improved dramatically." Mei was impressed.

"I suppose tugging along was no such a bad idea." Cloud said lazily, "I could definitely use a massage and I have a serious sweet tooth."

They ended up having an epicurean breakfast at the lovely backyard of a small but expensive bakery. Cloud and Mei devoured the pastries with an appetite that equaled a SOLDIER after a Mako injection. They also had omelets, pancakes, waffles with whipped cream and fruits, a large mug of hot chocolate and a tall glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

"This is so not fair! You're such a pig, Mei, and yet you look so fit." Melanie, as her name tag said, addressed Mei.

"That's because she works out like crazy." Cloud defended her. "I've seen too many saggy asses here, so you better start doing some squats, sisters." Cloud added, snapping his fingers in the end for emphasis.

Ladies whistled from other tables at his statement and laughter erupted. "Wanna be my personal trainer, SOLDIER boy?" Came a seductive question from a luscious woman sitting nearby.

"I don't think you can afford me, honey." Cloud winked at her.

"Your feminine charms don't work on guys who play for the other team." Cissney gloated.

And so a discussion that was meant to result in far-reaching conclusions regarding the status of women in society, had strayed to a heated conversation about diets, make up and fashion. While Mei and Cloud had nothing to contribute, they were satisfied with munching on the never-ending supply of cookies. Cissney silenced the bickering females a while later.

"After a very...productive discussion about women empowerment," Cissney could not help but giggle in the middle, "It's time to head to the spa."

"You do realize you need to submit a report to Rufus, with suggestions for improving women integration in Shinra and all that crap we were supposed to come up with." Lindsey from logistics, if Mei remembered correctly, pointed out.

"Please Lin, I wrote that shit up two weeks ago." Cissney replied with a smirk.

Even Mei joined the laughter.

The spa experience was, to say the least, amusing. Mei was fine with being naked around other women, and having Cloud there somehow did not arise any problems. All the ladies simply accepted him as their own, and honestly they were feeling slightly too comfortable with him. When he took off his robe to join them in the hot spring, he earned many impressed gazes.

"Look at that hunk!" A blonde middle-aged woman slapped Cloud's naked bum.

"Damn Cloud, are you sure you're gay?" Another one asked.

"Considering I'm in a company of beautiful naked women, and I'm not even slightly aroused..." Cloud trailed off.

"He's so adorable even when he's rejecting you!" A ginger cried out.

Cloud was starting to blush and Mei was really enjoying herself so far. She had water jets directly at her back, and the gentle pressure on her shoulder blades was exactly what she needed. The water was just the right temperature, and her company, while far from quiet, was not intolerable. Mei could not help but snicker at the thought of bringing Sephiroth along instead of Cloud. Surely a few women would have fainted when he took off his robe, and there was a fair chance some would attempt rape. Undoubtedly, Mei felt more at ease with Cloud's nudity than with Sephiroth's. Cloud was handsome and well-built but in her mind he was still that awkward kid from Nibelheim, as opposed to Sephiroth, who was undeniably a man, and one that she found frustratingly sexy.

"You really have to get yourself some hot SOLDIER ass." Said a girl Mei recognized as Sephiroth's secretary. "And tell us how it was."

"I have my eyes set on someone..." Cloud remarked mysteriously. Mei cocked a questioning eyebrow, hoping that he got over his little obsession. "And it's not Sephiroth." He answered her question.

"Oh Gaia, Sephiroth." Lindsey exclaimed. "How could the ancient gods be so cruel to deprive the female population from the pleasure of knowing him intimately?"

"Mei knows him intimately." Cloud sold her out. Mei looked at him betrayed.

"Right, I've heard a rumor in the Turks, about you being assigned to him." Cissney confirmed.

Mei buried her face in her hands; here starts the inquisition. It seemed like a good time to try drowning herself. "I was assigned to 'Sephiroth duty' after, well, what happened at the sexual harassment conference." Mei said, earning a few chuckles and a mean glare from Scarlet. "Basically, I have to take care of him in case Hojo is being too rough on him."

"I'd have to talk to the management." Scarlet said with an evil smirk. "Taking care of Sephiroth is definitely not a punishment in my eyes."

"Sephiroth can be hell to deal with." His secretary declared. "He reduces me to tears at least four times a day. I think Mei is brave for handling him, especially when he is ill-tempered after Hojo's tests."

"So how is he like?" A ginger women asked Mei, "Did you see him naked? Crying? Snoring? Give us some juicy details."

"I can understand the curiosity." Mei said tiredly. "But I rather not violate his privacy. I am compelled to it by my duty as Turk, and also ...as a friend."

"That explains a lot." Cissney said thoughtfully, "Some of us Turks saw you together at the fair. Had we not known his sexual orientation, we would conclude you were involved."

"Do you like him?" His secretary asked eagerly.

Mei pondered for a moment. "Yes."

"Come on, you've got to give us some details, however insignificant they might seem." Lindsey begged, and the other women backed her up with requests for information.

"Fine." Mei agreed eventually. "Sephiroth wears no underwear most of the time." This earned her a lot of cheers. "He listens to crappy punk bands and he owns like a dozen different types of hair products."

The new information Mei provided the ladies encouraged a new debate, and Cloud used the moment to quietly address Mei. "You left out the most important detail though."

"What are you talking about?" Mei hissed.

"That Sephiroth loves to cuddle." Cloud whispered, letting out a small giggle.

Mei kept her face blank. "Why would you assume that?"

"I stayed at Zack's when Sephiroth came over, and they talked." Cloud said casually.

"You eavesdropped." Mei glared at him, but the Turk in her was proud of him.

"Perhaps I did." Cloud smiled innocently. He looked around to make sure no one was listening to them. "Sephiroth said...he said he never experienced this kind of physical contact before, one that was not related to sex."

"Yeah, I gathered that myself." Mei said bitterly.

"And that he feels more in peace with you, than with anyone. Even more than with his own self." Cloud added, and his eyes were soft when he spoke.

"I feel better when he is around too." Mei admitted.

"You're a match made in heaven!" Cloud clapped his hands together happily.

"We're a match made in Shinra. Don't be naïve, Cloud." Mei said darkly.

Mei had a brooding expression while a cosmetician put on a moisturizing mask on her face, rebuking her for not taking proper care of her dry skin. Even the expert masseur failed to release all the tension locked up inside of her, because her mind kept drifting to the Shinra schemes she was forced into, and the stress effected every muscle in her body.

Any trace of anxiety was erased by their meditation class, and Mei actually considered practicing it daily. It helped her find some peace inside her, and to sort out her thoughts. The class passed far too quickly in Mei's mind and it was time for lunch, which after the swimming, the sauna, the masks and the creams, the massaging and the mediation, sounded like a very good idea.

Cloud shoved his hands at her face. "Touch my palms, so soft! They managed to treat all my calluses!"

Mei chuckled at his enthusiasm and honestly it pleased her to see Cloud so carefree and joyous. He had grown to be brooding and sullen in a way that frighteningly reminded her of Vincent, and Mei was glad to see him acting more like Zack. Mei had enough darkness in her life, and she could definitely use some cheerfulness and silliness.

They arrived at the restaurant, which was clearly ritzy but still managed to preserve a sense of hominess with a comfortable, rustic furniture and warm pastel colors. Mei took a crispy, deep fried schnitzel with mashed potatoes, while Cloud went for some thin, boiled sausages with fries. They got many distasteful glares from the women ordering a salad.

"Oh, happy day." Cloud sighed once all the food on his plate was consumed.

"Amen to that, brother." Mei raised her glass of Corel Cola.

The desert making workshop had gone fantastically well for everyone but Cloud and Mei, who were partnered together. They ended up eating all the melted chocolate with their fingers and smearing flour all over each other faces, which soon escalated to running around and throwing eggs at each other. Mei narrowly ducked Cloud's well-aimed pitch and the egg hit Scarlet right in her cleavage, who immediately screamed at Cloud that he would make it to SOLDIER only over her dead body. Mei dutifully informed her that it could be easily arranged. High on chocolate and filthy beyond recognition, Cissney kicked them out of the class and told them to return to Shinra, and make themselves presentable for the last activity of the day, the party.

Laughing till they teared and bordering on hysteria they made it to the headquarters, both in such an elevated mood that words failed to describe. They parted each to his dormitories, and Mei spent a significant amount of time trying to rid her hair from that damn cookie dough. She was just finishing her cleanup when she heard her PHS ringing, and she made a dash for it.

"Heyyyyyyyyyy." Mei said happily when she saw Sephiroth's name on her screen.

"You sound cheerful. Are you sick?" Sephiroth asked jokingly.

"No, I just had a fun day with Cloud." Mei replied with a grin. "I convince him to join me on the women's day trip. We ended having a food fight in out desert making workshop, and Cloud got a perfect aim at Scarlet cleavage!"

Sephiroth laughed on the other side of the line. "I'm glad you're having fun without me."

"Don't play on my conscience. I just sprinted out of the shower because I hoped it was you calling me." Mei defended herself.

"So you're naked now?" Sephiroth teased.

"In all my glory." Mei retorted playfully.

"After a month or so with filthy, hairy men, it sounds rather appealing." Sephiroth remarked, his voice surprisingly genuine.

Mei faked a sharp inhale. "Well, if you're switching sides you have plenty to look for when coming back to Shinra. Today I got to hear every female in Shinra fantasizes about you."

"Anything interesting?"

"Some of it. I'll write down everything, and you can read it upon your return." Mei suggested humorously.

"I'll hold you to that. You have something planned for the night?" Sephiroth inquired, and Mei heard much background noise.

"Ladies only party in some club in Midgar." Mei informed him. "I might even dance and make a total fool of myself just to feel that I utilized this day to the fullest."

"What a shame I wouldn't be able to witness this." Sephiroth commented, and Mei noticed some sadness laced in his voice.

"Hold on there, Sephiroth." Mei tried to comfort him. "You'll come back soon and we're gonna watch your crappy documentary. Your deployment won't last forever."

"It feels like forever already." Sephiroth said tiredly, "I never minded being deployed before. This time it's ...different. Harder."

"You're getting old, buddy." Mei taunted him, "I say you should consider retirement and an alternative career as a stripper."

"You'd pay to see me?" Sephiroth countered, and Mei could envision his smirk.

"I would be your best customer." Mei stated with mock seriousness.

Sephiroth chuckled and the line became unbearably noisy. "I have to go. I'll call soon."

"Bye, Sephiroth." Mei said sadly and then the line was dead.

Mei got some vague information about what was going on in Wutai through her Turk sources, and of course she could not ask Sephiroth about the situation while using an unsecured line. They both know they could not discuss anything remotely important in those conversations, so they kept it casual and Mei hoped it gave Sephiroth some sense of normality, even for a few moments. She could hear in his voice that he was becoming weary, and it bothered her to no end.

It was nearly the time to meet the ladies in the parking lot and head to the party, and Mei quickly combed her hair, and pulled on some unusually tight clothes, that earned her a few whizzes from the others. The club was packed with girls when they got there, and after a long argument with the bouncer and the selector, Cloud was allowed to enter as well. It was after a few drinks that Cloud pulled her up on the bar, and they dance shamelessly on top of it.

(Imagine BuckCherry's 'Crazy Bitch', and invent your own provocative dance)

Mei froze in the middle of her twerk when she noticed a few male faces in the crowd. Her heart sunk to her tight pants when she recognized those amused faces. She quickly jumped off the bar, trying to hide and save the last shreds of her dignity, when she noticed the men were making their way towards her.

Reno, Vincent and Rufus were making a very lame effort at not laughing in her face.

"This is a ladies only night." Mei said through gritted teeth. "Explain your presence here."

"Bitch please, this is my club." Rufus said snidely, "But you've got some killer moves. I would never imagine you could stop being the frigid prig you are."

Reno nodded in agreement, and Vincent managed to regain his stoic expression once more. "We came here to fetch you," Vincent informed her. "Rufus is leaving for Wutai in two hours. Reno and you will join him."

Mei could not decided whether it was good news, or bad ones.


	13. Chapter 13 - Everything is Fair in War

**N/A: Thanks for those who comment, you revive my faith in humanity. **  
**The story progresses, and Mei, who relies on partial, not-entirely-accurate information keeps reaching the wrong conclusions. **

**Chapter 13 - Everything is Fair in War and Love**

Mei arrived to the northern area of the Wutai island, feeling sick and looking deathly pale after the long sea travel from Rocket town's port. Regardless to her ill condition, she carried her heavy kitbag and Rufus' luggage as well, without a word of complaint, from the shore until the main camp, which was a few miles away and on the top of a mountain. Mei seriously doubted she would survive the long climb, especially when she needed to assist Rufus and make sure he did not fall to his death, but the thought of seeing Sephiroth was motivating her to continue.

Indeed, he came to welcome her a few moments after they reached the camp, taking her heavy bag.

"Chivalry hasn't died yet!" Mei exclaimed, relieved.

"Only because we haven't met on the battlefield." Sephiroth joked darkly. "I'll take your bag to my tent, while you make arrangements for Rufus."

Mei nodded and joined Reno, trying to decide where was the best place to set Rufus' tent. They found a secure spot, where they could guard him properly, and started working. Within ten minutes Rufus' luxurious tent was up, and Mei exchanged surprised looks with Reno, both amazed that they managed to coöperate without arguing.

"Efficient. We'll call the Turks next time we set up a camp." Sephiroth remarked, towering above them with his arms crossed.

Reno gave him the finger and Mei chuckled. "We're going to get a brief from Zack, and then we are taking Rufus to a tour around the camp. You'll be around later tonight?"

"If nothing drastic happens, yes." Sephiroth replied noncommittally.

While Sephiroth acted rather formal with her in front of his soldiers, Zack had no such restraints. He attacked her with a rib-cracking hug, lifting her off the ground easily and swaying her around.

"It's so good to see you!" Zack was beyond happy. Mei was doing her best to escape his grip, and it came as far as kneeing him with all the force she had, which was enough for him to let her go.

"Ok, can we stop with the pleasantries?" Reno said impatiently, "Just brief us and let us work."

Zack gave him a sad puppy look. "I'll guide you through the camp, and show you our main security breaches. SOLDIERs are going to help you guard Rufus' tent at night."

Zack showed them the improvised kitchen, the toilet area, the shower containers and the armory. They explored all of the exits and entries to the camp, and all of the access roads leading up the mountain. "They real problem we're having is the tunnels." Zack stated.

"The Wutainese realized they stand no chance in fighting us face to face, so they dug all the area with a tunnel network, allowing them to pop out of nowhere and attack us abruptly." Zack said frustratingly. "This is why we asked for you, Reno. We need your explosives and Fire casting skills to stop their underground traffic."

Reno suddenly seemed much more cooperative and friendly. "I have to look at one of those ratholes first, to come up with an efficient method."

"It's getting dark, I'll show you tomorrow." Zack promised.

"Rufus wanted a nightly tour." Reno mentioned to Mei.

"It's a misty night and we are unfamiliar with the territory. I think it's a bad idea." Mei declared, with conviction. As if to support her argument, heavy rain started pouring.

"Come, I'll give you the guarding schedule." Zack turned to Reno, pulling him away, sending a wink to Mei.

Mei smiled gratefully, and hurried to meet Sephiroth, hoping he was in his tent. The sight revealed to her once she crawled into the tent was mortifying. Lying on his sleeping bag, with his back leaned against his kitbag and his pants pulled down to his ankles, Sephiroth was leisurely stroking himself, his eyes closed.

He opened one Mako green eye to observe her flushed face. "I thought you were touring with Rufus."

"We canceled it. Weather conditions are bad." Mei managed to complete a coherent sentence. "I'll just go...crawl under a rock or something. Merciful Gaia..."

"You can stay. I don't really mind." Sephiroth shrugged, continuing to pleasure himself brazenly.

Mei gaped at him, perhaps being on the field for so long had caused people lose their regard for privacy. The rain outside intensified and thunders added to the stormy effect. Mei supposed she could linger in the tent a bit longer, only to test her composure, and to refute what Rufus said about her being a frigid prig. Mei sniffed herself to realize she was in desperate need of a shower, and began searching for a change of clothes in her bag, all while stealing glances at Sephiroth.

When he increased the pace, Mei was hypnotized. She saw muscles flex beneath the pale skin of his thighs, and his abs tense, more defined than ever. A silver trail of hair guided her eyes right to where the action was, and Mei cursed Sephiroth for being so perfect even his cock was beautiful. His hand glided up and down around his shaft, applying mild pressure and making slick noises. But it was the soft moan that came out of Sephiroth's parted lips that made Mei's eyes widen. The son of a bitch was putting up a show for her, so she might as well enjoy it. Mei leaned back on her kitbag, her clothes neatly piled on her lap, and watched him intently.

And it turned him on.

Sephiroth came not long after, his hot sperm coating his palm and sliding down his cock. He gave her a provocative look. "Like what you see? You can have a taste." He teased her, stretching out his jizzed hand.

Mei narrowed her eyes at him. He was checking her boundaries, pushing her beyond her comfort-zone and testing her reactions. It was a challenge. And no way she was going to let this gay motherfucker scare her away.

Mei smirked devilishly and crawled to him on her fours. She gave him a seductive gaze, before leaning down to lick the cum off his still solid erection. Mei moved deliberately slow, licking him from the middle of his cock to the very top, while maintaining eye contact. Prudish her ass.

Oh, yes, victory tasted amazing, and his cum was not so bad either. The look of utter shock on his face was priceless and Mei engraved it in her memory. He watched her paralyzed as she grabbed her clothes and towel and lazily left the tent.

Although Mei maintained her calm facade, her heart was beating like crazy, threatening to burst out of her chest. She just licked Sephiroth's cock. Holy mother of Gaia. Mei forced herself to gather her wits, and went for the shower containers, reaching it after a short walk in the rain. Worriedly she noticed the showers were common, with no cells for minimal privacy.

Mei's gaze landed on First Class SOLDIER Hewley, who was exiting the container. Their eyes locked and he halted before her.

"You're Sephiroth's Turk, right?" The officer asked her formally.

"Correct." Mei nodded, and her eyes drifted towards the bathing facilities. "I suppose there are no showers for women?"

"There are no women." Hewley shrugged. "I'll ensure no one walks on you showering, if you do it real quick."

Mei literally jumped on the offer, sprinting to an empty container, with Hewley guarding the entrance. In less than three minutes, she shed her clothes, cleansed herself, and redressed, the ice cold water contributing to her efficient showering. She thanked Hewley and went back to Sephiroth's tent.

He was shining his boots when she returned, and he greeted her with wicked grin. "That was incredibly well-played." He complimented her, referring to her bold act. "Where did you go?"

"To shower." Mei replied, waving her used clothes.

"But there are no separate facilities for women. Don't tell me you're brazen enough to prance around naked in the man's shower." Sephiroth looked absolutely revolted with the thought.

"I showered alone, Hewley kept my virtue safe." Mei winked at him.

"You could have asked me." Sephiroth seemed offended.

"Your hands were full." Mei retorted wittily.

Sephiroth chuckled. "True."

"So how are you doing?" Mei asked, sitting cross-legged and looking at him attentively.

"I'm tired." Sephiroth said honestly. "We lost too many men lately, due to the clever methods of the Wutainese and their superior knowledge of the terrain. Our physical advantage shrinks dramatically when we battle on their terms."

"Well, Pyro Turk might help out." Mei suggested hopefully.

"I do hope Reno will assist us. You must realize how grieve the situation is, if we are summoning Turks to the front-lines."

"Some Turks are here because Rufus Shinra thinks it's a good idea trekking a war-zone." Mei replied bitterly.

"I'm sure his presence here serves some higher purpose." Sephiroth said gloomily.

"According to what Zack and you told me, I have a very good guess." Mei remarked,rubbing her chin. "Rufus is a bait. If the Wutainese would attack the Shinra heir, it's the perfect excuse for a full fledged war. A war the Wutainese will lose regardless of their clever guerrilla tactics, because their people will pay a price they cannot afford to pay."

Sephiroth eyes narrowed, and the brilliant green turned a shade darker. "You're his bodyguard." He said worriedly.

Mei nodded. "Whatever happens to me, you must not lose your cool. For all we know, this might be some sort of wicked test for us."

Sephiroth observed her for a few long moments. "You read through their schemes as I read the battlefield. I think you make a great Turk."

Mei punched his arm, blushing slightly. "Shut up, you."

Sephiroth caught her arm, and used it to pull her closer. He embraced her for a long time, to make up for over a month worth of hugging, and Mei had absolutely no protests. It felt as natural as it was when they parted on the landing strip, even after walking on him jerking off. Mei inhaled his scent, that was so utterly male, and rather pleasant relatively to someone who spent a lengthy period in the field. His hair was quite a mess though, and she vowed to brush it and braid it the following day, when Sephiroth was less exhausted.

"I'm going to take a nap. I got patrol on midnight." Sephiroth said, reluctantly pulling away from her and sliding into his sleeping bag. Mei leaned down to kiss his cheek, and crawled to her own sleeping bag, deciding a nap was much needed.

Mei woke up in an empty tent, just before sunrise. She took a Mars snack from her supply kit and went outside to search for a nice place for early breakfast. Mei took a moment to appreciate the view from the top of the mountain when she heard the patrol squad returning. They formed in perfectly straight lines, standing at alert attention, facing Sephiroth. He was wearing his combat attire, the black leather coat billowing in the wind behind him, though his hair was nearly unaffected. There was fresh blood on his boots, and his face were harsher than she had ever seen. The way he looked at that moment, all concentrated power and sheer charisma was a fit image for a Shinra recruitment poster. Mei was awe-struck.

He dismissed his squad, and turned around, noticing Mei from afar. She watched him walk towards her, taking in the surprising gracefulness in his stride, albeit his impressive size.

"You brought Mars snacks with you." He stated with disbelief.

"I only pack necessities." Mei winked at him.

"I want it." Sephiroth took a step closer to her.

"That's too bad." Mei moved backwards.

"Give it to me." Sephiroth insisted.

"Nope."

"It's an order." Sephiroth said sternly.

"I'm not in your line of command, buddy." Mei outsmarted.

With a growl Sephiroth launched at her, and by sheer luck she managed to escape. He tried to tackle her to the ground, knowing that she stood absolutely no chance with her inferior mass. He got her on the second try, and they rolled on the ground a few times before he ended up on top of her, with her stretching her hand as far as she could to keep her snack out of his reach. She could not escape his grip when he centered his weight on her middle, but when he leaned forward to grab the snack, it allowed her to bring her leg towards her chest, and then shove against his neck to roll him off her.

He chuckled at her clever move, but his strength was unmatched and he managed to gain dominance once more. Straddling her, he tried to grab her wrists but she fought against him with every ounce of power she got. For a moment she managed to resist him and he gave her a very strange look, but then he unleashed his full strength and Mei uselessly tried to wiggle out of his bestride, grinding her hips against his in the process.

Sephiroth snatched the snack from her hand, looking at her with amusement. Mei finally stopped struggling, somewhat enjoying the feeling of his heavy weight on her. The fact that he had gotten hard did not escape her, and Mei inwardly cringed at thought of Sephiroth being turned on by fighting, or winning.

"You're stronger than you seem." Sephiroth stated, rolling off her. "It was a good fight, so I'll share my war prize with you." He added, breaking the snack into two.

"Hey, my half is smaller than yours!" Mei complained after he handed her a piece.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and exchanged her piece with his. He savored every bite with a pleasure that bordered on erotic, and when he licked his fingers in the end, Mei stopped chewing and bluntly stared at him.

"I brought a stock of Mars in my supply bag, you can have as many as you want." Mei offered, "Who would imagine you are that easy to satisfy..."

"I'm actually incredibly difficult to satisfy." Sephiroth said with a wink.

"It didn't seem that way yesterday." Mei teased, and Sephiroth playfully kicked her shin, which had her limping for the rest of the day. Mei walked Sephiroth to the largest tent where the commanders gather to discuss tactics, and could hear Zack and Reno screaming at each other from afar.

"We can't do it! Your plan is downright diabolic!" Zack roared.

"I came here to win a war, not to win a humanitarian prize!" Reno yelled back. "As an expert on the subject, this is the method I recommend on. If you object, then I'll take the earliest ship back to Shinra and leave you to wallow in mud and blood."

"How soon can you get it ready?" Mei recognized Genesis' voice.

"I can get most of the known tunnels rigged in a few hours." Reno replied calmly.

Sephiroth gave Mei a strict nod, and entered the tent, while Mei headed towards Rufus' tent, to check if he was up already. Kunsel was standing outside his tent, looking traumatized.

"You're joining us for the tour?" Mei inquired, friendly.

"Unfortunately." Kunsel replied quietly. "Rufus has been treating me like a servant since Genesis assigned me to guard him."

"Welcome to the club." Mei said darkly.

Rufus chose that moment to emerge from the tent, wearing his smart pants and a silky red dress shirt with the Shinra logo, and Mei wondered if it was possible to make him an even easier target. "Perhaps you should consider to change your clothes to something...less attention drawing." Mei commented gently.

"Perhaps you should shut the fuck up and make me coffee, woman." Rufus retorted crudely.

Kunsel's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets but Mei was completely unfazed. As a Turk, she knew when to bow her head humbly and take whatever shit thrown at her. "Would you like some breakfast too?"

"Yes, Mei. If they have eggs, or something vaguely resembling an omelet, I'll have it." Rufus answered, slightly kinder.

Mei nodded, and turned on her heel, heading to grab Rufus some breakfast, and collect her weapons on the way. She returned a few minutes later with some black coffee, a yellow-greyish goo that was supposedly scrambled eggs and an apple. Rufus downed the coffee, spat out the first bite of the eggs and cursed lengthily, then settled for eating the apple.

"If something happens to me, Kunsel is responsible for your security, and you will heed his instructions in case of emergency." Mei said to Rufus authoritatively. This time Rufus did not respond, but merely nodded his head.

"Let's go." Mei urged them, and Kunsel and another Second Class SOLDIER named Cedric led them out of the camp.

Mei wore her infantryman uniform, without the helmet and the pauldrons, which slowed her down significantly while providing her minimal protection. She had two guns in her leg straps, an improved assault riffle, a few magazines and her own knife. Mei mentally prepared herself for the mission, becoming cool and calculated and honing her senses to detect the slightest sign of enemy forces.

They walked in the rocky path down the mountain, which had Mei feeling completely exposed. Not knowing the territory made her impossibly alert to every noise or motion, and all of her muscles were ready for action in a micro-second notice. Kunsel secured the path from the front, Mei walked with Rufus, and Cedric at the rear. Kunsel was pointing out to Rufus one of the tunnel exits yesterday's SOLDIER patrol discovered, when Mei sensed that unmistakable tingle of being watched. In the corner of her eye she noticed a motion in the woods.

Mei immediately tackled Rufus, pushing him out of the path, and behind a large rock.

But her response was too slow, too late.


	14. Chapter 14 - I Got My Gun at the Ready

**N/A: Spring started and I rather go skate or hang out at the beach, than updtae this story.**

**Chapter 14 - I Got My Gun at the Ready Gonna Fire at Will**

Mei felt the piercing pain of a bullet straight away.

"Take cover!" Mei managed to scream before the pain clouded her mind. Rufus crawled behind the rock and flattened against the ground, and Kunsel and Cedric rolled off the path while the fire kept coming.

"Unit 4 to main base, we have been ambushed. I repeat, we have been ambushed. Requesting backup to Western access road." Cedric shouted to his communication device.

Bullets kept flying above their heads and Mei realized her will to live was stronger than the pain in her shoulder. Using her unharmed arm, she loaded her gun, and started shooting back. Her riffle lay beside her.

"Throw the riffle to Kunsel." Mei said calmly to Rufus, who reacted obediently out of sheer fear.

Kunsel soon joined with some more fire force, just when they were contacted. "Unit 4, backup is on the way."

Mei changed the magazine, and continued to aim for the attackers. They were camouflaged, and barely noticeable in the forested area, and Mei could count at least five sources of fire. If the rebels started moving and spreading to the sides, Mei's group would be exposed, no longer shielded by the rocks. Mei prayed that the backup would arrived in time, and that Kunsel and her could hold off the Wutainese just a little longer.

When Mei recognized the distinguishable sound of a shoulder-fired missile, she knew they were saved. The infantry did not fuck around, and one well placed missile took at least three men down. Soon enough an infantry squad and a few SOLDIER officers appeared in their view.

"You're alright?" Genesis appeared out of nowhere, shaking Rufus with slight hysteria.

"Yes." Rufus whispered faintly, and pointed out at Mei, who dropped her gun and lied motionless on the ground, breathing heavily with pain. "Save her." Rufus grabbed Genesis' collar. "She took a bullet for me."

Genesis immediately turned to Mei. "What's the damage?"

Mei opened hazy eyes. "They got one shot at my shoulder. Nothing serious but I'm losing blood fast."

Genesis quickly improvised a bandage for her wound, and unceremoniously lifted her in a fireman's carry. "It's going to hurt." He warned her, before sprinting up the mountain to base camp.

Going to hurt was the understatement of the year, as far as Mei was concerned. Every little motion caused her blinding pain, and at some point she abandoned every shred of dignity and started crying like a little girl. Torturous as the way had been, Genesis and his inhuman SOLDIER speed got her to the infirmary in a few minutes.

"Infirmary commander!" Genesis barked, lowering Mei to the nearest vacant bed.

"Here, sir!" A man, no older than twenty-five saluted.

"Stop whatever your doing, this soldier is your top priority." Genesis commanded, radiating power.

"Yes, sir!" The infantry commander said, and began inspecting Mei's wound.

The cloth of the uniform had clung to the dried blood at the periphery of the wound and Mei inhaled sharply when the doctor removed it. "I'll have to remove the bullet before I use Cure." He informed them.

Mei let out a pathetic sound, but at least she was not crying anymore. Genesis stayed by her side. "I suppose I underestimated you, Turk."

"That's what I get for body-guarding both of your boyfriends." Mei made an attempt to joke.

Mei squeezed Genesis' hand when the doctor pulled out the bullet, a high-pitched shriek escaping her mouth. The pain subdued gradually after casting a Cure.

"I have to leave you now. The war has officially started." Genesis stated morbidly.

"I know. I have a favor to ask of you." Mei said weakly, while the doctor cleaned the remains of blood and applied some disinfection on the closed wound.

Genesis waited for her to speak. "Sephiroth...make sure his mind is on the battlefield." Mei said, giving Genesis a stern look.

"Consider it done." Genesis declared, and with a formal nod he turned to leave.

The doctor lead her to the infirmary's improvised shower, allowing her some privacy. He handed her some clean uniform, and it felt incredibly odd, and liberating to wear it without underwear. "The Cure effect will fade soon, so take these." He handed her a few pain killers, "And return tomorrow for checkup."

Mei nodded and walked dazed to her tent, struggling out of the uniform pants, to pull some underwear on. She left the uniform top on, unwilling to move her shoulder more than necessary. Mei took the pain killers and crawled into her sleeping bag. The sounds of war, the smoky scent of explosives, the rush of battle, none of it effected Mei when she collapsed.

Mei woke up with a start when someone moved behind her, and immediately she made a move for a her knife. A hand on her shoulder stopped her motion. "Relax, Mei. It's me." Sephiroth's voice soothed her.

Mei thanked Gaia inwardly that he was well, and also when he unzipped her sleeping bag, and slid in with her. She could feel his warmth radiating from him, but he did not touch her. "It doesn't hurt." Mei remarked.

Sephiroth reached to her, his calloused hand moving beneath her uniform top, up to her shoulder. Mei shuddered at his touch. "It's going to leave a scar." Sephiroth stated grimly.

"It could have been much worse." Mei whispered.

"Yeah." Sephiroth lined himself behind her, wrapping a hand around her waist and pressing himself against her.

"Is it over?" Mei inquired faintly.

Sephiroth sighed heavily, and Mei felt his breath against her neck. "For good, I suppose." He shivered involuntarily. "Today was a massacre. We just burned to the ground three villages, not sparing even one living soul."

"And Reno's plan?"

"Was brilliant. Horrid, but brilliant." Sephiroth admitted. "He simultaneously detonated all the known entries to the tunnels, trapping most people inside. Before that, he ordered the infantry to throw in smoke grenades, disseminating nerve agents."

"Reno gassed them like rabbits in their burrows." Mei whispered with horror. Sephiroth was unnaturally still behind, and Mei risked pressuring her wounded shoulder and turned to look at him. He was dirty, but beyond the filth he was pale as a ghost and his eyes were dull.

"What happens tomorrow?" Mei asked, touching his face gently.

"Some of the forces would return to Shinra, the rest would stay here to ensure the truce." Sephiroth replied in a hollow voice.

Mei pressed a kiss to Sephiroth's collarbone, pressing herself closer to him. His hand rose to caress her hair, and when he close his eyes the tent darkened without their Mako glow. "I am...unworthy of your kindness, after all the blood I shed today. It has been long since I felt such self-loathing."

"I know that feeling." Mei related bitterly. "Gaia will judge us when we return to the life-stream."

"You sound like a Wutainese." Sephiroth commented with aversion.

"Because I am, or I would have been if Shinra never took me away. I might have encountered you on the other side of the battlefield today." Mei contemplated. "My files say my family was traditionally Wutainese. I learned as much as I could about their culture because it made me feel...like I was connected to my family somehow."

"Do you feel like you betrayed your people?" Sephiroth queried gingerly.

"No." Mei said dully. "Shinra managed to strip me off every ounce of empathy."

They were silent for a while when Sephiroth spoke again. "You gained Genesis' approval today. You're slowly growing on all of us, and frankly I'm rather concerned." He joked.

"I told you, the Turks are infiltrating SOLDIER." Mei confirmed, with a smile.

"He lied to me, because you asked him. Genesis never lies to me. He knows I'll kill him if he does." Sephiroth said severely.

"I didn't want you to worry." Mei said sheepishly.

"I know." Sephiroth said softly. "I'd burn Wutai to ashes if you died."

"Yes, I was fearing this sort of reaction." Mei chuckled.

Sephiroth gazed at her with tenderness she never imagined his sharp features can express, holding her gently in a way that made her feel precious. Mei assumed she wore the same expression, since she was feeling immensely grateful that he was well, and thanked Gaia in her heart for allowing both of them to survive this war. He leaned his forehead against hers and Mei could count each and every one of his astonishingly long eyelashes.

"You should turn around. You're damaging your shoulder." Sephiroth remarked, his voice coming out slightly husky. Mei obeyed, equally enjoying being spooned.

Mei woke up alone, shoulder aching and stiff, and with a painfully full bladder. She crawled out of her sleeping beg grudgingly, and struggled to pull over her uniform, shuffling with half closed eyes to the toilets. The stench was so sharp that it erased every traced of sleepiness, and Mei washed her face in the filthy basin and headed toward the kitchens to fetch some breakfast. She spotted Sephiroth from a far, talking quietly and solemnly with a man dressed in a very peculiar maroon cloak.

Vincent Valentine.

Mei skipped happily to where they stood, and Vincent graced her with a warm smile. Sephiroth greeted Mei, excused himself and left Mei to speak to Vincent alone.

"How is your shoulder?" Vincent glanced at her left arm.

"A bit sore, and rigid." Mei shrugged, asymmetrically.

Vincent gave her a long, measuring look. "You did a good job yesterday. I'm...proud of you." Vincent uttered with difficulty, awkwardly placing his hand on her healthy shoulder.

The gesture meant the world to Mei, and his words made her feel like her feet did not touch the ground. She grinned foolishly. "Thank you."

"I came here to take Sephiroth and you to Nibelheim." Vincent said sternly, glancing to the sides. "I have some issues I must discuss with the general, and I prefer to have you around, in case he doesn't take well to what I'm about to tell him."

The wheels in her head started turning, what awful truths Vincent could reveal to Sephiroth? "And the official description of the mission?"

Vincent smirked cunningly. "A suspected technical failure in the reactor due to monster activity."

Mei nodded. "When are we leaving?"

"As soon as you finish packing. I have a feeling Sephiroth is eager to leave as soon as possible." Vincent replied, his eyes darting to Sephiroth.

Sephiroth stood in front of his SOLDIER troops, looking every bit intimidating and formidable as ever, but Mei knew him well enough to detect hints of weariness. He spoke shortly, with no flowery and no pleasantries, mentioning the dead and reminding the living of the purpose a SOLDIER, but to Mei he sounded like he lacked conviction. Nonetheless, his SOLDIERs cheered for him when he finished his speech.

"I'll go get my equipment." Mei informed Vincent, and marched to her tent, quickly gathering all her gear.

Mei always got sick on sailing, and she was way past feeling embarrassed about it, but having Sephiroth by her side while she emptied the contents of her stomach was making her feel very self conscious. Suddenly Mei was awfully aware of her flushed, puffy face, and her bad breathe and how utterly repulsive was the whole act. Mei could not name the time when being attractive in Sephiroth's eyes had become a matter of importance, and she certainly could not point out why.

After a long sail, they finally reached Rocket town's port, and continued the journey by car. Vincent was driving, while Mei was snoring lightly in the passenger seat, and Sephiroth napped, sprawled all over the back seats. It was two hours after noon when they reached Nibelheim, and Vincent stopped at the inn. It was only two floors high, and Mei's eyes automatically scanned all the exits, noticing a window on the right side of second floor could be reached easily after climbing on the front porch's shed.

Mei struggled with her bag and fantasized of the hot shower she was about to take when Vincent made the reservations, and barely managed to look attentive when he spoke to Sephiroth and her.

"Take an hour to refresh and meet me down stairs." Vincent said lately. "Here is the key to your room. Second floor, to the right."

Sephiroth and Mei both stared at the key dangling from Vincent's fingers, and looked at each other, thinking exactly the same thing. "Dibs on the shower!" They shouted simultaneously.

Sephiroth's inhuman reactions allowed him to snatch the key from Vincent's hand before Mei even blinked. But Mei was not about to give up. She sprinted outside, jumped on the trash bin, pulled herself up to the shed (screaming like a banshee when she strained her injured shoulder), and yanked the window open, just as the door clicked open. She collided into Sephiroth in attempt to reach the bathroom first, and fell backwards on her ass while he stood unaffected.

"I win." He declared with a smirk.

Mei scowled at him from the floor, feeling the bitter taste of puke and defeat in her mouth. Sephiroth offered her his hand, and after a long moment of staring at it evilly, Mei took it and he pulled her to her feet.

"I'm impressed by your competitive spirit. Most people would have given up." Sephiroth complimented her, and Mei struggled to maintain her hostile facade. "Since we were nearly tied, I suggest we share."

"Sh...Share?" Mei stuttered, turning slightly red.

"Unless you want to wait for your shower a good thirty minutes." Sephiroth grinned victoriously at her. "I might use all the hot water."

**To be continued in the next chapter...**


	15. Chapter 15 - Vincent the Revelator

**A/N: Thanks to those who regularly review, I truly appreciate it! **

**Chapter 15 - Vincent the Revelator**

Sephiroth was doing it again. The whole 'Let's mortify Mei' thing. Mei was having none of it. She has been naked around Cloud, and it was not a big deal, so what was the difference? She had seen Sephiroth fap, for Gaia's sake, so why was taking a shower with him so intimidating?

It was true, that Mei had seen him naked in various situations, however she never fully undressed in front of him, and this thought was making her extremely nervous. But then, Mei had less than five minutes of showering in the last three days and she was so desperate for a long, thorough shower in a clean bathroom, and not in those filthy containers.

"Fine." She found herself saying.

Sephiroth flashed her a row of perfectly sharp teeth, in what loosely might be considered a smile, and stepped into the bathroom, starting to undress. Mei followed him, while mentally going over all the names of the villages in Wutai, in order to distract herself from her naked state. Sephiroth adjusted the water temperature and they stepped into the shower stall, enjoying the luxury of hot water. Mei found herself staring when Sephiroth closed his eyes and shampooed his hair, humming happily. He was perfectly shaped from head to toe, and Mei's eyes lingered on his strong thighs and the sculptured torso, admiring a physique fit for a male model.

Mei snapped from her trance when she felt a poke in her stomach. "Nice abs."

Mei looked down to examine herself, and indeed the muscles seemed more defined than ever, probably due to the insufficient nutrition at the camp. Of course, it was still nothing compared to Sephiroth's abdominal muscles, but when she averted her gaze to Sephiroth her focus was drawn to his lower parts. Mei felt her cheeks burn.

"You're hard." Mei said with confusion, tearing her eyes from his erect member and staring puzzled at his face.

"I'm showering with a beautiful woman." Sephiroth replied casually, as if his statement was the most natural thing in the world.

It would have been, if he were straight. Mei shook her head with abashment. "You're not gay?" She asked lamely.

Sephiroth chuckled lightly. "Why would you think that?"

Oh dear Gaia, Mei hid her face in her hands. "We...The Turks...We have files on all the Shinra superiors. And the reports said that you had only homosexual affairs."

"Well, that's precise, if you track my affairs since I was appointed to be a general." Sephiroth confirmed. "But I was sexually active before I became a Shinra superior."

Mei was slightly hyperventilating. She made a firm decision to terrorize the intelligence branch once she returned to Shinra. Sephiroth gently pulled her hands from her face, and suddenly he was very very close, and very very naked. "Is this the reason you have been feeling so comfortable around me?"

"Yes." Mei whispered. "But you knew, didn't you?"

Sephiroth sighed. "I suspected."

"So why did you play all those dare games with me?" Mei asked, feeling betrayed.

Sephiroth closed his eyes and looked genuinely remorseful. "I...find you attractive, and I was clearly tempted...it was foolish. I hope you can forgive me."

Mei stayed silent, her lips pressed tightly. Sephiroth turned off the water and stepped out, grabbing a towel and throwing her another one. Once she was decent Sephiroth spoke again. "I think we should talk."

Mei was ever so close to tell him to fuck himself, and ask Vincent to share his room. But she could not. She did not want to. Sephiroth became too important to simply hand him one way ticket out of her life. Mei was too overwhelmed to speak, but she managed to nod.

"I'm really sorry." Sephiroth said, as they sat on opposite sides of the bed. "It took me a long while to accept that I desire you...it has been years since I was involved with a woman and...I fucked it up because...I don't know."

"Why?" Mei inquired weakly, "Why did you stop seeing women? And what changed now?"

"It's complicated." Sephiroth exhaled heavily. "I realized I can no longer see anyone outside of Shinra, due to classification issues. Also, no one seemed to understand how demanding and consuming is the role of a military man and I got tired of explaining and arguing over leaving for lengthy periods."

Mei could relate to that on the deepest level, as her first relationship had failed precisely due to those reasons. The need to hide your life from your partner, while spending so much time apart, would plague even the best relationship with doubts. "There are women in Shinra." Mei pointed out.

"Who think they can use me to climb the corporate ladder." Sephiroth uttered bitterly. "Most of them still don't understand what it's like being in SOLDIER. They don't understand what it means when I say I have to leave NOW for a mission, even if it's their birthdays, or Valentine's day or whatever."

To Mei, it felt like hearing herself talking, and Sephiroth, encouraged by her understanding expression, continued. "As I got stronger, I figured that in a moment of passion...I might be too rough. And while a SOLDIER like Genesis can take pretty much everything I might unleash on him, an ordinary woman would be hurt."

"That's a pretty terrifying thought." Mei agreed.

Sephiroth smiled weakly. He was about to speak again when Mei's PHS rang. Vincent was on the line, asking why were they taking so long. They were supposed to meet him downstairs five minutes ago."

"We'll be down in a minute." Mei promised and grabbed her jacket and guns, sending Sephiroth a worrying look. It was a bad way to end their confrontation, but the mission was always more important than anything else. Sephiroth gathered his sword with a blank expression, and stepped out of the room, waiting for her in the hallway.

"Sephiroth and I are going to the Shinra mansion." Vincent informed them. "I believe you have some issues to solve in Nibelheim, Mei." He looked at her pointedly.

Mei nodded, still a bit puzzled from the latest discoveries, and watched two of the most important people in her life walk away. She sat in the front porch for a while, considering whether to lit a cigarette or not. Eventually, she decided against it, and asked directions to the Han residence. After a short walk, she stopped in front of an ordinary looking house, two stories high and dyed in a creamy color. Mei took a moment to prepare mentally, smoothed her Turk suit and knocked on the door. It was time to face her past.

Mei held her breath until the door opened, by a middle-aged woman with curly blond hair, and Wutainese features. Mei smelt the aroma of freshly baked cookies coming from inside the house.

"Mrs. Han?" Mei asked formally.

"Yes..." The older woman replied hesitantly, cocking an eyebrow.

Mei did not plan for this moment. She did not prepare a speech or an introduction. She had no idea what to say. "Hi, mom."

The woman gaped at Mei for a long moment, before Mei noticed her hands started to shake. "Mei?"

"Yes." Mei whispered.

Blonds curls bounced when the woman let out a dry sob. "It's been over twenty years."

Mei did not know how to react. The two women watched each other with equal amount of disbelief, concern and puzzlement, noticing the physical similarities between them. Suddenly a child no older than ten appeared in the doorway, followed by a teenage boy. Mei looked at the faces of her younger siblings.

The older women snapped out of her trance and said. "Come inside, Mei. I just made cookies, they used to be your favorite."

Mei gawked at the woman who smiled at her warmly, and realized she was in her old house, with her mother and her brothers. Her family. Mindlessly, she followed her mother into the house, drinking in every detail, from the simple furniture, to the tidiness and the family portraits scattered all over. Mei stopped in front of an old, yellowy picture, that showed her, with her parents and older brothers. Her father looked so handsome in that picture.

"He died three years ago." Her mother said poignantly. "That godawful work in the reactor. And his overbearing employer in Shinra never stopped pushing him to put more hours. They killed him, those bastards."

Mei shuddered. "I'm one of them." She said meekly.

Her mother gave her a measuring look. "If you're anything like your father, than you're not. Working for Shinra and selling your soul to the devil is not necessarily the same."

Mei chuckled. "I must disagree."

They sat at the table and her mother pushed the bowl of cookies towards her. Mei noticed the younger siblings stare at her with bewilderment. "This is Mei-Xing, my first and only daughter." her mother explained softly to the curious boys.

"So you're our older sister?" The teenager said, not entirely pleased. "You're going to move in here?"

Mei smirked at his worries. "I live in Midgar and intend to stay there."

"The moody boy here is Xue." Her mother introduced the adolescent. "And this is Yun."

"Cloud." Mei translated his named from Wutainese. "One of my best friends in Midgar is named Cloud."

"Cloud Strife." Her mother said with a smile, and Mei tensed. "I'm a close friend of his mother. And I have heard of you from his letters ever since he arrived at Shinra."

"So you knew...about me?" Mei's voice broke. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Her mothers expression darkened. "When Shinra took you away, they threatened us not to try to contact you. They had great expectations from you, and it seemed like your isolation was crucial for the success of their plan."

"Well, I supposed they failed anyway." Mei gave a weak smile.

Her mother laughed softly. "Yun, bring us the paper please."

The younger boy sprinted out of the room, and reappeared a moment later, handing his mother the newspaper. Her mother pointed on the front page, covered by a huge picture of Sephiroth and Mei from Wutai, with their backs turned to the camera and the sunset in the background, casting their long shadows. "I would not call it a failure."

The title said in bold letters 'The Shadow Heroes' and at the bottom was a short summary of the article, regarding the important work of the Turks that no one ever acknowledged, and a mention of Mei saving Rufus' life. Mei gulped, her mother knew she was involved in the war in Wutai.

"Aren't you mad at me?" Mei asked fearfully, lowering her eyes to the table. "For fighting against our...your people?"

"No, Mei." Her mother replied warmly. "I used to be mad at your father, for his work was destroying the planet. But I loved him too much, and the anger faded. This path you walk in, has been chosen for you many years ago, and I would never blame you for it."

"What if I chose it willingly?" Mei challenged, lifting her eyes to meet her mother's. "What if I enjoy being a Turk?"

Her mother sighed deeply. "Perhaps when you will have your own children you will understand. Whatever they do, whatever they choose, you can never alienate yourself from your kids." And with that statement she reached for Mei, covering Mei's hand with hers.

Mei felt a single tear roll down her cheek, but her lips curved up to a smile. She felt her PHS vibrate, and reluctantly pulled it out to see a message from Vincent.

Mei looked apologetically at her mother and brothers. "I have to go."

"Come visit us, when you have time." Her mother requested and Mei nodded eagerly. They hugged each other before Mei left, and even her younger brother Yun gave her a shy wave. Xue still looked at her with suspicious.

Mei walked back to the inn, trying to calm the swirl of emotions inside her chest, so she could direct her attention to Sephiroth. She found him in the bedroom, sitting on the floor, with his back against the wall, hugging his legs up to his chest. His face was lowered and she could not see his expression, especially since it was nighttime and Sephiroth did not turn on the lights.

She crouched down before him, her legs folded beneath her, and placed her hand on his knee gently. "Hey."

All she got in reply was an incoherent mumble. Mei tried again. "What's wrong?"

"Everything." Sephiroth grumbled, still not looking at her, but Mei noticed the redness around his green irises.

Mei decided not to push it, and crawled closer to him, wrapping her hands around his torso and caressing his hair soothingly. Sephiroth allowed her to hold him, and even leaned slightly into her touch. After long minutes of silence, Sephiroth spoke. "I'm not human, Mei. Hojo was right all these years."

"Vincent said my mother was a Shinra employee, that participated in one of Hojo's experiments. After she was impregnate, Hojo injected Jenova cells samples into her and her unborn baby."

"Jenova caells?" Mei cocked an eyebrow.

"Vincent wanted to show me...but the container was removed from the mansion." Sephiroth said thoughtfully. "Its location is currently unknown. Hojo believed that Jenova was a Cetra, while Vincent argued that it was simply some...extraterrestrial life form."

"Why did he tell you all of it?" Mei inquired, wondering why Vincent would reveal such harsh truths to Sephiroth.

"Vincent believes...Hojo is going to try and manipulate me using my heritage. The details are still unclear, as even Vincent doesn't have the classification to search the science department's confidential files." Sephiroth answered, frustrated. "The cells that were injected to me...theoretically can gain that...creature, a sort of control over me."

Mei pressed her lips tightly together, holding out on a very insensitive comment. She decided to go around the issue differently. "Did Vincent tell you about your mother?"

"He said she was a beautiful lady." Sephiroth said quietly.

Those words rang a ball. Mei tried to think why Sephiroth's answer made her feel Déjà vu. And then it hit her. Mei put two and two together, in a way only a Turk could. She choked down a gasp.

"Of course she was, you didn't get your good looks from Hojo." Mei joked, debating inwardly whether she should tell Sephiroth that Vincent was possibly his father.

Sephiroth snorted, and his glowing eyes raised to meet hers for the first time. That moment Mei decided against telling, feeling that Sephiroth was already overwhelmed with information and Vincent surely had his reasons not to reveal the entire truth. In those beautifully strange green eyes, Mei saw a soul that was broken, lost and hungry for approval.

"I always knew I was different, I just never imagined I was such a freak." Sephiroth admitted, and his voice dripped of sadness and his eyes burned with the need for acceptance_. _

Mei hugged him tighter. "You know it means shit to me, right? You're still Sephiroth. I'm sure it wouldn't matter to Zack, or Hewley or Genesis." Mei insisted, cupping his face, and looking at him with utter seriousness.

Sephiroth sighed deeply and closed his eyes. Mei leaned forward to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. And on his forehead. And on his other cheek. But he moved his head slightly and his lips met hers. Mei, blushing, tried to pull back, but his hand on her nape held her in place. Sephiroth kissed her again, putting slightly more pressure into the kiss, his other hand sneaking around her waist and pulling her closer to him.

Mei was beginning to panic. Her Turk training did not prepare her to this. It felt so good to be held intimately by him, to be desired by him, to forget her restraints and follow her urges. But she knew this was not real. Sephiroth was in a fragile state, starved for affection...and Mei, just happened to be beside him when he needed comforting. A moment later, Mei snapped out of her musing to realize she was pressed between the hard floor and Sephiroth's solid body, while his tongue was exploring the depths of her mouth.

Mei pushed his chest roughly, barely making him budge, but enough to make him stop his vicious attack on her mouth. He looked at her with confusion, and Mei stared at him with distress and fear. For a second rejection flashed on his face, and then it became the stoic expression he reserved for anyone but his friends. He rolled off her and jumped to his feet in a smooth motion, putting on his boots and his coat and collecting his sword. Mei grabbed his arm when he got to the door.

"Sephiroth..." Mei pleaded, not even knowing for what.

"Please, don't make it worse than it already is." Sephiroth said icily, tearing his arm from her grip and walking out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Mei knew better than to follow him. She returned to the bedroom, and crawled to bed, completely overwhelmed by the eventful day. Mei struggled to stay awake, awaiting his return, and a few hours after midnight she worriedly called his PHS. She heard it ringing somewhere in the room. distressed, disappointed with herself, depressed to no end and drained from energy, Mei fell asleep just before sunrise. Sephiroth did not return.

Mei met Vincent on the front porch a few hours later, as her sleep was troubled and soon enough she gave up on trying to rest. He was smoking a cigarette, and his eyes were set to the horizon. Sephiroth was sitting under a tree, on the other side of the street. "I can hardly remember seeing him in such a foul mood. You were supposed to make him better."

"I failed." Mei said in a clipped voice. "I suggest you remove me for my 'Sephiroth duty'."

"No. it's too late for the both of you." Vincent replied cryptically. "What happened?"

"It's...personal." Mei replied vaguely.

"Hmm." Vincent took a cigarette from his pocket and offered it to Mei. She snatched it eagerly. "Did he tell you?"

"About his heritage? Yes." Mei said flatly. "Why didn't you tell him everything, though?"

"What do you mean?" Vincent asked innocently.

"About your relationship with the 'beautiful lady' that was his mother." Mei retorted harshly.

Vincent's eyes bored hole in her head, and Mei eventually lost the staring match, and averted her eyes. "You didn't tell him either." Vincent stated.

"It wasn't my place to tell him." Mei replied honestly.

"Thank you." Vincent said with genuine gratitude, and his eyes drifted to the silver-haired man across the street. In his demon eyes, Mei could recognize anguish, remorse and longing.

How similar the two of them were.


	16. Chapter 16 - The Ugly Turkling

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing. **  
**I hope you're not yet fed up with waiting for the smut. Next chapter, promise!**

**Chapter 16 - The Ugly Turkling**

It has been two weeks since the "Nibelheim incident" and Sephiroth was methodically ignoring her. He did not reply to her text messages, pretended not to see her in the headquarters halls and generally avoided the floor in which she worked even though previously he was visiting it often, since he worked closely with Tseng (third office to her right).

Speaking of the devil, Tseng was currently talking to her and Mei was "-Not paying attention." Tseng rebuked her.

"I apologize, my thoughts drifted..." Mei said absentmindedly.

Tseng sighed. "You're unfocused in the last few days. If this continues, I will suspend you."

"What?" Mei cried out. "No,Tseng...sir, please. I'll be attentive from now on."

"Perhaps you should try solving your conflict with the general." Tseng offered lightly.

Mei narrowed her eyes at him. "I am not that obvious."

"No, but he is." Tseng replied with a grin. "He's been absolutely horrid to work with lately."

"I'm sorry to hear. I'm not sure how to approach him though." Mei confessed.

"You might have a chance to reconcile at the banquet." Tseng suggested.

"Wait, what banquet?" Mei looked confused.

"As I mentioned while you were clearly not listening, the president decided to throw some sort of a ball in honor of the great victory in Wutai." Tseng explained, and Mei did not miss the cynicism in his voice. "Naturally, such event will include all of Shinra's superiors, and must be highly secured."

"My two least favorite things in the world combined in one night; VIP security and black-tie events." Mei grumbled to herself.

"Rufus insists that the Turks will blend into the crowd, to keep the atmosphere light and carefree." Tseng continued flatly.

"No, please don't tell me it means what I think it means..." Mei was nearly begging.

"You will be wearing a dress and escorting me." Tseng informed her.

"Nooooo." Mei whined.

"You can go with Reno if my company isn't to your liking." Tseng teased.

"No, I don't mind going with you, I just rather not wear a dress." Mei clarified.

"I'm so going to enjoy dressing you!" Mei heard Cissney's voice chirping from behind.

Mei looked pleadingly at Tseng, giving him a puppy face that would have made Zack proud, but to no avail. "Cissney will be assisting you with your attire for the banquet."

"How can things possibly get any worse?" Mei mumbled, lifting her eyes to sky.

"Stop sulking." Cissney snapped at her, and turned to look at Tseng. "I'll need a credit card, boss."

Tseng reluctantly pulled out a platinum card, and handed it to Cissney. "Don't get overly enthusiastic."

"Of course, sir." Cissney snatched the card, bowing her head slightly. With a curt nod to Mei, ordering her to follow, Cissney exited Tseng's office, twirling a pair of car keys between her fingers.

"How did you get a car?" Mei wondered, as middle-ranked Turks were not granted a car.

"Oh, I borrowed it from Rude." Cissney replied lightly.

"Does he know you burrowed his car?" Mei stared at her suspiciously.

"He's about to find out any minute now, so we better hit the road quick." Cissney sent her a bright, dangerous smirk.

Mei clicked her tongue, although she did quicken her pace. "Theft and kidnapping wouldn't look too good in your personal records."

"Shut up." Cissney snarled. "I'm helping you look pretty for your boyfriend."

"Excuse me?" Mei choked, sliding into the passenger seat.

"Please, unlike our high-testosterone environment, I am not blind." Cissney remarked snidely.

"You're full of shit, Cissney. You saw nothing because there is nothing to see." Mei retorted calmly.

Cissney looked at her lengthily, all while driving twice the allowed speed in a very crowded road. "True. But I heard the general talk to one of the other Firsts."

"You mean, you spied on them." Mei stated bitterly.

"It is one way of looking at it." Cissney admitted. "The general didn't say much anyway, just that he was unable to face you at the moment. He seemed really down about it, though."

"I suppose I'm quite upset as well." Mei confessed quietly, when Cissney pressed the gas pedal all the way down. "Fuck Cissney! That traffic light was red! And slow the fuck down!"

"We Turks are above the law." Cissney grinned, but at least kept her eyes on the road.

"Gaia, May it be Your will, that You lead us toward peace, and make us reach our desired destination for life-" Mei was praying frantically.

"-You're religious?" Cissney laughed.

"Your driving makes me feel closer to the life stream." Mei said darkly.

They made it to Midgar's shopping area in one piece, and Cissney had dragged her into every designer's shop, making her try on so many dresses, shoes and accessories that Mei lost count. Admittedly, it was difficult to find a dress that complimented Mei, since her body had a narrow, straight lines, with absolutely no curves.

"For fuck's sake, take that off." Cissney twisted her face with horror, examining Mei in a red gown. "It clashed horribly with your hair. Why do you have to dye it green?"

"My hair color in non-negotiable." Mei declared, and returned to the dressing room, slipping out of the dress.

After long hours of searching, Cissney was finally satisfied. It was a long-sleeved dress, covering Mei's injury that was not healed yet, in a dark green shade that nearly matched her hair. It had some kind of built-in corset that actually created a waist line, and tastefully cupped her breasts to look slightly more generous. Cissney handed her a pair of high-heeled shoes.

Mei looked at them with horror. "I can't walk in those, and I certainly can't work in those."

"You have a few days to practice." Were Cissney's final words on that subject.

"Are we done already?" Mei asked with despair.

"For today." Cissney informed her with a grin. "I get to abuse you some more on the banquet's day. Prepare to visit a hairdresser that would tame that bird's nest on your head."

Mei sighed heavily at the horrors yet expecting her, and allowed Cissney to drive them back to Shinra, just as recklessly as she did before. It was already dark when they reached the headquarters and Mei decided to head to the gym for a workout. Of course it had to be nearly deserted, except for Sephiroth who ran on one of the treadmills. Mei knew he noticed her, and pointedly ignored her, and decided not to force her company upon him. She choose the treadmill in the furthest, opposite side of the gym, put her earphones on and concentrated on running. It was hard to focus on anything but him, and it took every ounce of her will not to steal glances at the unearthly grace that was Sephiroth while running. Mei fastened the running speed, pushing herself near her limits and letting her eyes nearly close, thinking only on her breathing. When she outdone herself, and slowed the tempo down, Sephiroth was not there anymore.

* * *

The next few days were a blur. Mei spent most of her days in the Shinra mansion, memorizing every hall and every staircase, surveying all the possible exits and preparing a security arrangement with Tseng. It was a great opportunity for her, to learn how to wisely provide protection for a large-scale event and to prove her skills to Tseng. Honestly, Mei was quite flattered.

The Turks could not administer enough manpower for the banquet, and so SOLDIER cadets and a selected infantry officers were also recruited. Mei naturally asked Cloud, who agreed without a second thought. It was nearly midnight, and Mei went over the plans for the tenth time, making minor changes, when Tseng addressed her.

"Go home, Mei. You have a long day tomorrow."

"But I haven't checked the- " Mei began to protest.

"-Go home. It's an order." Tseng cut her, pointing his finger at the door.

Mei lowered her head in defeat and shuffled out of the office, making her way back to her apartment. Mei realized how hungry she was when she entered the apartment and smelt a faint scent of burger and fries. She eagerly walked to her kitchen, to see a brown bag on the table. A note was attached to it.

'Tseng said you were overworking. You deserve a treat. V.V.'

Mei smiled from ear to ear, at prospect of binging on fast food and at the fact the Vincent had been thoughtful again. Mei devoured the food, without even warming it up, forced herself to shower, and collapsed to bed. She was so exhausted, that she forgot how lonely she felt since Sephiroth had stopped talking to her. The rabbit he gave her was on her nightstand, and she gazed at it sadly nearly every night, but not this time.

* * *

Cissney at her door was not something she wanted to see first thing in the morning, and it was an obvious omen for a bad day. Half sleeping, Mei was dragged to a cosmetician, that plunked, shaved and waxed hair from every inch of skin, ignoring Mei's loud protests.

Mei glared angrily at Cissney who watched her with sadistic pleasure the entire time. "Why the hell do I have to get a Brazilian wax?"

"You might get lucky tonight, you actually look decent in that dress." Cissney stuck her tongue teasingly.

Mei screamed like a rape victim when the cosmetician started waxing between her legs, and Cissney had to restrain her, since she was seconds from bolting out of the clinic naked. The soothing, jade colored cream that the cosmetician applied at the end definitely reduced the pain, and the all around redness. After another two hours of beauty treatments, Cissney hauled her to the hairdresser. This experience was significantly less traumatic, as the hairdresser simply dyed her dark blond roots into a dark green color matching the rest of her hair, and give her wild curls slightly more definition.

"You can go home and rest for a few hours, I will come over at 7 o'clock, to do your make up." Cissney informed her.

"Is it really necessary?" Mei sighed tiredly.

"Even if on duty, you are still Tseng's date. Tseng does not date women who are less than gorgeous. He will have my head if I let you ruin his reputation." Cissney reasoned.

Mei enjoyed her Cissney-free hours immensely, parading around naked while blasting old classics by the Wutai Clan. She watched herself in the full length mirror in her bedroom, deciding that the hairless look was kind of nice, and she might subject herself again to the torture of waxing just to maintain the eye-pleasing results. A few minutes before 7, Mei pulled on her dress, and quickly combed her hair into an elegant twist.

Cissney walked casually into her apartment, carrying a few bags. She pulled out her makeup kit, and told Mei to stay still while she worked her magic on her. Cissney applied a thin layer of foundation, and gave Mei's amber eyes a smoky look. Then she placed on the table a fancy box, and when the content was revealed, Mei gasped; a magnificent emerald and diamond choker with a matching pair of earring.

"Don't get attached to those, I have to bring them back to the store tomorrow." Cissney mentioned.

Mei could not resist the urge to look at the mirror after putting on the jewelry. She hardly recognized her reflection, with the fancy dress and the expensive gems and sophisticated makeup. The dress hugged her waist tightly, making it slightly difficult to breathe, and flew freely to the floor, with side slits that allowed her access to the guns strapped to her legs.

"Don't let Scarlet corner your alone, she is so going to jump your bones." Cissney warned her, slightly amused.

"What?!" Mei was puzzled.

"She has the hots for you ever since the sexual harassment convention, and seeing you naked in the spa only made it worse." Cissney chuckled.

"I didn't know Scarlet played for the other team." Mei said, genuinely surprised.

"Scarlet plays in a league of her own." Cissney remarked with a smirk. "Come on, let's get you to the banquet."

"Aren't you dressing up?" Mei asked, slightly jealous at Cissney's Turks attire.

"No, you scheduled me on the outer guard." Cissney replied, "But Gun is inside, all dressed up."

"I have a silly favor to ask, before we leave..." Mei said shyly, "Could you take a picture of me? I'll send it to my mother..."

"You contacted your family?" Cissney cocked an eyebrow, "How did it go?"

"Good. Much better than I expected." Mei replied, and a wave of happiness washed over her. She handed Cissney an old camera she got for one of her teenage birthdays.

Cissney took a few photos of her, and when she handed Mei the camera back, Cissney seemed melancholic and morose and so much unlike herself. "You're one lucky whore, Mei. I'd kill for a chance to have a family."

Mei swallowed hard, feeling slightly sad for Cissney who grew in an orphanage.

* * *

Mei survived another trip with Cissney's arguable driving skills, and Tseng was already waiting for her outside. He gave her a long, measuring look, and finally granted her an approving nod. Mei had to admit Tseng was looking sharp and sophisticated in a black-stripped gray suit, with a black dress shirt and a white tie. Preparing herself mentally for a tedious night, they stepped together into the ballroom.

The room was impressive the last time she saw it, when it was vacant and Tseng and her were planning the security arrangement. But now it was sinfully glamorous, covered in red and golden decorations, a two-meter high champagne tower, an orchestra and countless tables with the rarest, most expensive edible luxuries. Tseng went straight to mingling, and Mei occasionally partook in the conversations, but mostly she smiled prettily.

Mainly, her attention was directed to the crowd, looking for anything that might erupt her suspicion. Mei did not notice any threats, but she did find Sephiroth. His jacket abandoned, he was clad in a fitting black pants, a white dress shirt with a black vest, and a green tie. He was scanning the crowd the same way she did, and his eyes wandered until they locked on hers. He looked at her for a long moment before recognition flashed in his eyes, who widened in shock and immediately darted away from her.

Mei sighed inwardly, feeling an uncomfortable pressure in her chest that might have been sorrow. Sephiroth's hair was braided elegantly, and Mei felt a sting of jealousy, wondering who combed his hair. He looked grumpy and out of place, but he was still devastatingly handsome and Mei deeply regretted breaking apart their make out session in Nibelheim. She allowed Tseng to pull her to dance floor, mindlessly following his lead, as both of them concentrated on inspecting the party guests, unnoticed.

"The general has been sending me death glares the entire night." Tseng mentioned with amusement.

"Perhaps he still feels vengeful for your betrayal." Mei feigned innocence.

"I doubt it." Tseng replied, staring her with a curious mixture of sternness and diversion.

Mei returned his stare with a leveled expression, not taking the bait. She took a moment to appreciate Tseng features, ignoring the fact that he was her superior, and decided he was alluring in a dark, mysterious way. His pitch black hair was perfectly slicked back without looking oily and his dark eyes were captivating, guarded but full of expression and Mei found herself studying him thoroughly. Mei easily observed the sharp change in his mood, feeling his body tense beneath the light touch of her fingers and the way his eye slightly narrowed.

"What?" Mei asked quietly.

"That fool..." Tseng whispered. "Zack Fair's date must be evacuated from here at once. We cannot draw attention."

"Let's greet them." Mei suggested. "Make an excuse to discuss privately with Zack, and I will inform his date he was called on a mission, and take her to her residence."

Tseng looked nervous and it was saying a lot. He shoved his car keys into her hand. "The girl...you must not talk about her. With anyone but me. I will explain everything later. Just know, that by bringing her to a Shinra event, Mr. Fair placed a sword above her head."

"Yes, sir." Mei replied coolly, and gently led him to Zack. Mei engaged in a small talk with Zack, and the lovely girl by the name Aerith that was his date. It was not long before Tseng managed to steal Zack away, and Mei was left with Aerith.

"Zack had been called to a mission." Mei informed her formally. "I will escort you to your residence."

The girl watched her with huge emerald eyes that glowed with rare intelligence. Mei knew she was not buying her story. However, the girl simply nodded, and followed Mei to the car. When the Mei started the engine the girl spoke. "Zack is still talking to the dark-haired Turk in the ballroom."

"That's possibly true." Mei said honestly.

"Why were you ordered to remove me from the banquet?" The girl asked directly, sounding calm and calculated.

"Tseng stated that your presence in a Shinra organized event is an immediate threat to your life." Mei replied openly, taking a turn to the Midgar ring highway. "Where do you live?"

"Sector 5." Aerith answered quietly, her eyes not leaving Mei's face. The feeling was disturbing. "Do you know more than you tell me about the danger I am in?"

"A strange question to ask a Turk." Mei chuckled.

"No," Aerith protested softly. "I can sense it...you're not like the rest of them."

"I'd hate to disappoint." Mei laughed nervously, taking the exit to sector 5. "I'll need directions from you."

Aerith guided her through the slums, until she pointed at a five-story crumbling building. Mei shivered at the thought that a gentle girl like Aerith lived in an environment like that. That girl was certainly more than the innocent front that met the eye, if she survived in that neighborhood.

"We shall meet again soon, Mei." Aerith promised with confidence that made Mei uneasy.

Mei nodded firmly, watching Aerith until she entered the neglected building. Mei waited until she saw a light in the third floor's window and drove back to the Shinra mansion. She ran into Genesis and Rufus.

"Look at the ugly duckling transformation." Rufus said snidely. "You can definitely pull off the aristocratic look. And you have that oriental charm, like Wutainese royalty."

Mei blushed slightly at the unexpected compliment. Genesis scrutinizing gaze was making her blush harder. "You certainly make some people swoon, including our dear general."

Mei flushed scarlet down to her chest. "I haven't had the chance to talk to him tonight. Have you seen him?"

"He left a while ago, in the same foul mood he has for days already." Genesis wrinkled his nose in annoyance. "I hope you settle your silly quarrel before he makes all the SOLDIER officers quit their jobs."

"I'm on duty tonight," Mei said apologetically. "But I will talk to him first thing in the morning."

"Such an efficient Turk." Rufus beamed, clinging to Genesis' side. "I might even recommend your promotion."

Mei bowed her head. "Thank you, sir."

Tseng joined them, and they continued their watch until the party died. Mei took a short break from the crowds, hiding in a corner to text Sephiroth and when the people scattered, she joined the rest of the Turks to searched the entire mansion, verifying it was not rigged or bugged. It was well after four o'clock in the morning when Mei returned to her apartment, checking her phone to see Sephiroth did not answer. She threw the phone away angrily, and fell into a dreamless sleep without even removing her dress.


	17. Chapter 17 - My Ice Cream

**N/A: It appears like I write my stories for Leyshla Gisel, and another 99 readers that apparently have no access to a keyboard.  
My stats tell me you out there, silent readers, you can't hide!**

**Chapter 17 - My Ice Cream Brings All the Turks to the Yard**

Mei woke up with sunrise, her ribs aching from sleeping in that corset dress and make up dried up and itching all over her face. She sleepily stumbled to the bathroom, getting rid of her clothes and all remains of last night, and taking a cold shower to get her blood pumping. She brushed her teeth, erased the taste of champagne, and watched herself in the mirror. Mei appeared tired and drained, a far cry from the gorgeous woman she pretended to be yesterday, but somehow she preferred her natural look over all the glitz and glitter.

Mei had a large mug of hot chocolate, while acknowledging the fact that she must face Sephiroth immediately. Putting on her Turk suit, and gathering every bit of poise and determination she could mustered, Mei headed straight to the SOLDIER offices. She heard his grumpy voice in the headquarters halls and followed the sound, ending up in the same corridor. He lowered his eyes to avoid her, and tried to walk past her in the corridor. Mei's nostrils flared, and she slammed her shoulder into him with every ounce of strength she had, and combined with her anger and frustration, it was enough to crush him into the wall.

He looked at her wide-eyes, surprise written all over his face.

"You're avoiding me." Mei declared, wearing her formal Turk expression.

"No. I was simply busy-" Sephiroth objected, still not looking at her.

"-You're lying to a Turk." Mei cut him viciously. "Don't make a fool of yourself."

Sephiroth exhaled heavily, looking utterly miserable. His pale skin was marred by the dark circles around his eyes and his hair was a mess. His brilliant eyes were dull and bloodshot, and Mei caught the faintest trace of alcohol in his breath. Sephiroth was hungover as fuck. "Can we not discuss it here?"

"Follow me." Mei commanded, and started marching, taking the elevator to the lowest floors of the headquarters. She took a few turns in the underground maze, reaching a huge metal door. She placed her palm on the hand-print scanner while another biometric device verified her retina. A mechanical voice was heard.

"State your name and purpose."

"Turk Mei-Xing Han, escorting visitor Sephiroth." Mei said flatly. After the voice recognition was completed, the heavy door slid open.

"I've never been here." Sephiroth said curiously.

"It's the Turks interrogation facility. Usually, if you're brought here, you ain't gonna live to tell." Mei replied coldly, checking the flat TV screen indicating which of the rooms was available. She led Sephiroth to cell number 14, and locked the door behind her.

"The cameras and recording devices in this room are dysfunctional. We can talk privately here." Mei remarked casually, taking a sit on the metal table, while Sephiroth opted to stand by one of the walls. "Speak."

Sephiroth rubbed his neck with growing discomfort. "What happened in Nibelheim...I suppose initially I was hurt and pissed at you for rejecting me. I honestly can't remember being rejected ever before." He confessed, his eyes focusing on a spot near the tables legs. "And then, I wasn't quite sure how to act around you. Realizing you were not interested, I didn't want to force myself on you...I just needed some space, some time away until my attraction faded and...I hoped we could at least be friends again."

"We never stopped being friends." Mei stated, and her words made Sephiroth finally lift his eyes to meet hers. "I rejected you because you were in a vulnerable state, and not in a condition to make rational decisions. If I were to engaged in a sexual activity with you, I would prefer to do so when you are not traumatized by certain discoveries and desperately seeking affection."

"Do you really think I kissed you because I was mentally unstable?" Sephiroth laughed wholeheartedly.

Mei cast her eyes down and shrugged, suddenly very confused with the whole situation. When she dared to look at him again he was standing closer than before. "You looked really striking in the banquet." He said softly, a pinkish taint to his cheeks.

Mei snickered nervously at his compliment, and he tenderly lifted her chin to look at him with his index finger. "I'm in my right mind, albeit slightly hungover, and I still want you, Mei." Sephiroth whispered against her lips.

Mei swallowed the large lump in her throat and decided to throw caution to the wind. She pressed her lips lightly to Sephiroth's and he reacted instantly, placing a hand on her waist and another cupping her face. He bit none too gently on her bottom lip, earning a soft moan and access inside her mouth, which he immediately took advantage of. Sephiroth was all power and dominance and lust and it was far from the romantic first kiss girls dream about. Mei returned the kiss with equal fervor, refusing to surrender and give up the lead, and she felt Sephiroth, hot and hard, positioning himself between her legs.

When they broke apart for air Mei said reluctantly. "We should probably leave soon."

"Why? You said this room was unused." Sephiroth argued against her neck, sucking on her soft skin.

"I said the recording devices were out of use." Mei corrected him.

"Do you interrogate with no means to document the information?" Sephiroth inquired, biting on her earlobe.

"No. When the cameras are off, we just beat the shit out of people." Mei explained, and slid down from the table. Sephiroth held her against him for a long, breathtaking kiss before he allowed her to lead them outside. Unsurprisingly, two massive Turks were dragging a chained man in the direction of cell 14.

They tried to make themselves more presentable before reaching the elevators. Sephiroth's eyes were still glazed with lust when he gazed at her. "When are you finishing tonight?"

"Late. I was occupied with the banquet and the paperwork is overflowing." Mei grimaced at the thought of the amount of work expecting her.

"Come over tonight. Please." Sephiroth requested, and he sounded unsure and hopeful and terrified at the same time.

Mei contemplated the prospect of spending the night with Sephiroth. Hot, lustful sex and affectionate cuddles sounded pretty damn good to her. "Ok."

Sephiroth smiled and they both entered the lift, stealing glances at each other silently. Before exiting to his floor, Sephiroth gave her another peck on the cheek and walked away with a delighted stride.

Mei decided to greet Vincent. "Good morning." She popped her head into his office.

Vincent smirked at her above his files. "Good morning indeed. It seems that you and Sephiroth had a rather affectionate reconciliation."

Mei's eyes widened. "What?" She breathed out nervously, wondering for a moment if the cameras of cell 14 were already fixed.

"You have a very obvious love bite on your neck, Mei." Vincent pointed out with a grin. "Let's see if your Materia skills improved."

Mei reluctantly took Restore Materia from a bowl on Vincent's table and on the third try managed to vanish the hickey. Vincent clicked his tongue. "That was horrible."

"It's still an improvement." Mei argued.

"I suppose you're right." Vincent remarked flatly. "Tseng is waiting for you in the sector 5 church."

"I have shitload of paperwork to finish." Mei protested.

"I hope you don't have plans for the night then." Vincent retorted teasingly, returning his attention to his work.

Rancorously, Mei made her way to sector 5, recognizing the streets she passed while driving off Aerith. The church was not far away from her residence, and Mei felt awe and reverence the moment she stepped inside the building. It was suspiciously well kept, for a temple of religion that existed no more, and Mei felt insignificant and unworthy in this place of holiness. As if to amplify the sense of sanctity, there was a patch of yellow flowers in the middle of the church, even though flowers stopped growing in Midgar decades ago.

"This place is sacred." Mei whispered to herself.

"It is, in a way." Tseng stepped from the shadows, and walked towards the blooming flowers. "It's a beautiful, innocent reminder of our past. It's so precious and rare that it makes you feel protective, or even possessive. A secret you wish to keep from the world."

"We're not talking about the flowers, are we?" Mei shifted her weight from leg to leg with a growing sense of unease.

"No. I brought you here to tell you about Aerith." Tseng stated, his expression stern as ever. "She can make those flowers grow, she even managed to plant a few at the backyard of her building."

Mei looked slightly confused. It did sound like a rare talent, but Mei could not see why Tseng would care for gardening. "Have you heard of the Cetra?" Tseng inquired.

"I am familiar with the legends of the ancient." Mei answered, unsure.

"Aerith is the last Cetra." Tseng dropped the bomb. "Her heritage allows her to communicate with the planet. You can see why she might be a great asset to Shinra."

The obvious conclusion was Mako. A person who was connected to the planet, had control of the Mako. "There's more to it." Mei said to herself.

Tseng cocked a curious eyebrow, and Mei held her hand to silence him. "Don't interrupt my Turk thinking process." She closed her eyes for a moment, recalling what she knew about the Cetra. "The ancients were a race who nursed this planet many ages ago. Their goal was to heal and cultivate each and every area, and in return to their efforts, they were granted the Promised Land."

Tseng nodded in confirmation. "Apparently the idea of heaven tempted even magical creatures as the Cetra."

"Naturally, the greediest men on the planet would be tempted as well." Mei completed his sentence darkly. "So Aerith is Shinra's key to paradise."

"Precisely." Tseng confirmed.

"But you're second in command in the Turks, Tseng." Mei shook her head with dismay. "How can you betray Shinra?"

Tseng shrugged. "None of the Shinras deserve a place in heaven."

"Why are you telling me this?" Mei was overwhelmed by the amount of risk Tseng was taking.

"Vincent trusts you. Sephiroth trusts you. If two of the most guarded people I know put their faith in you, so can I." Tseng reasoned.

"I feel the burden of responsibility." Mei joked, but inwardly she really was collapsing underneath the endless flow of secrets.

Tseng pressed his lips together, his expression severe. "I know you have much work in the office. I might not notice if you turn your reports a day or two too late."

Mei beamed at the wonderful news. "Thank you, sir!"

Tseng dismissed her and Mei returned to Shinra with ambivalent feelings. She was immensely relieved that her deadline was postponed, but then Tseng's revelations felt heavy on her heart. The most disturbing idea was that the people she believed she knew best, and could perfectly portray their character, had turned out to be nothing like what she thought. The fact that Tseng was intentionally holding back crucial information from Shinra, was simply unfathomable. Mei allowed the paperwork to distract her for a while, working in a lenient pace and retiring to her apartment at a reasonable hour. She nearly forgot her promise to Sephiroth when her PHS buzzed.

'You're coming?' The message read.

Mei quickly confirmed, and rushed to the shower. She took extra time to rub on the moistening cream Cissney had left her, slightly disgusted with herself for fretting over a stupid date. It was not even a date. It was just a hang out. That might end up in an orgasm. Right.

Sephiroth apparently did not trouble himself as much as Mei did, welcoming her with a standard black SOLDIER pants and nothing more. He sniffed her when she passed by him. "You smell really nice."

Mei frowned at him. "Your compliments make me feel awkward."

Sephiroth chuckled. "You're a strange woman." He led her to the kitchen. "I can't cook to save my life so I got something else."

On his kitchen table was a huge container of ice cream, and beside it a box full of everything you could put on top of it – chocolate chips, crashed biscuits, sprinkles, M&M's...

"Sweet Gaia, it's my favorite." Mei squeaked happily.

"Which?" Sephiroth inquired, taking out spoons.

"All of them." Mei replied, smiling widely.

They ate straight from the container, like the two savages they were, topping it with everything. Mei ate nearly as much as Sephiroth did, but stopped before her stomach protested. Sitting closely beside Sephiroth made her feel hot, while the ice cream sent chills down her body and the contradiction felt fabulous. He swallowed a mouthful of ice cream and lowered his spoon, licking his lips and staring at her. Mei was not sure who initiated the kiss, but she could definitely tell Sephiroth favored the vanilla over the chocolate, when her tongue explored his mouth.

Objectively, their kiss was rather awkward at first. Their pace did not match, the position was uncomfortable and during their struggle for dominance there was way too many teeth clashing. But they found the right rhythm eventually, and Sephiroth pulled her into his lap, gaining dominance but setting a more relaxed tempo that was to Mei's preference. Mei wrapped her hands around his neck, sinking her fingers into his luscious hair, tugging on it mildly to gain an approving moan from Sephiroth.

Sephiroth hooked strong arms under her backside, and effortlessly carried her to his bedroom, deserting the ice cream to melt on the table. This time, Mei welcomed the sensation of his weight pressing against her, and allowed her hands to roam over the hard muscles of his back. Suddenly Sephiroth stopped his advances.

"You Cured my mark." He looked at her disappointingly.

"Vincent teased me about it." Mei defended herself.

Sephiroth huffed angrily before sinking his sharp teeth into the gentle skin of her neck, and Mei cried out in pain, but simultaneously felt a rush of pleasure, excited by the thought of being owned. He used her short moment of submissiveness to pull her shirt over her head, and her bra clicked open a millisecond later. Sephiroth kissed and licked the ridges of her exposed stomach before averting his attention to her breasts.

He treated her breasts with juvenile fascination and excitement that nearly made Mei giggle, but she found herself equally occupied with his body. Her hands slid beneath his loose pants, to discover he was not wearing underwear as usual. Her finger racked his firm ass, pulling him closer to her as she rolled her hips against his. He groaned against her skin, and in a flash her pants and underwear were gone.

"Ok. Let's see if I remember anything." Sephiroth laughed nervously, letting his hand wander down her body, to the apex of her thighs.

He grinned triumphantly at how wet she was, and started rubbing her slowly, gingerly, watching her to detect any discomfort. The feeling of his cool finger inside her hot sex was mind-blowing, especially when Mei realized she was getting a hand-job from Sephiroth. Fucking general of Shinra and the wettest fantasy of Gaia's population. Criminally sexy Demon of Wutai. Twice.

It felt like an outer-body experience, with Mei wondering how the hell did she find herself on his bed, underneath him, fingered and kissed with long-suppressed lust. His pants disappeared and she could feel him rock-hard at her entrance. He kissed her slowly before asking "Are you using any birth control?"

"I'm on the pill," Mei replied. "But put on a condom, I don't want your SOLDIER STD."

Sephiroth laughed at that. "I'm immune to these. Perks of being a freak."

Mei chuckled and they shared a long, sensual kiss, embracing and caressing. "It's been a while since...so please go slow."

"Of course, baby." He murmured against her neck, and slowly pushed himself inside her. Mei remembered him to be well-endowed, but inside her he felt painfully huge, and she dag her fingers into his shoulder while he slid further in. He let out a feral growl when he was fully seethed, and stayed still, enabling her to adjust to his size.

"Shit, you're so tight. And I don't remember it feeling so good before." Sephiroth said huskily, squeezing his eyes shut in attempt to regain control. He buried his face in her neck, and started to move inside her slowly. He opened his eyes to look at her and his green irises were nearly covered by his dilated pupils. Mei hooked her legs around him, and pulled him down for a fierce kiss, granting him permission to accelerate his pace.

"I'm gonna pop like a teenage in a few seconds." Sephiroth informed her with an embarrassed smile, kissing her apologetically. Mei pushed her pelvis against his, matching his thrusts, and gripping on his alluring silver tresses, simply enjoying the closeness and the mutual attraction. She knew herself well enough to tell she was far from coming, and instead of chasing the fickle climax, she relished in the moment. The feeling of their muscles moving against each other, the wet slapping sounds and Sephiroth's low moans, the taste of his passionate kisses.

He surely lasted longer than a few seconds, and let out a hoarse cry when he came, resting his forehead against hers, and riding the tides of pleasure. He pulled a small towel from the top drawer in his nightstand, and cleaned both of them. He laid facing her, caressing her face with his knuckles. "I'm sorry."

Mei shrugged. "I take half the blame. I was thinking too much."

Sephiroth palmed his face. "I really sucked if you got philosophical while I fucked you."

"I was thinking about how the fuck did I end up in bed with the hottest man on the planet." Mei said smugly, and Sephiroth grinned beneath his hand. "I felt slightly guilty for all of your groupies."

"Now you can tell them my skills are strictly limited to the battlefield." Sephiroth jested.

Mei dragged her hands down his torso, tracing the hard lines of his abs. Fuck everything, she had every right to enjoy all that goodness. "I think we should give it another try. Two out of three?"

"You're on!" Sephiroth rolled on top of her, taking her lower lip between his teeth. They kissed again, slightly more confident in their actions, and diligently studied each others' body. Sephiroth was hard again in a matter of minutes, and was trailing kisses from her neck, to her breast and down her stomach. Seeing his glowing green eyes looking at her, between her spread thighs was so hot she could cast Fire. His tongue darted out of his mouth and licked her gingerly, tasting and testing the territory. Fortunately for her, he approved and began eating her out eagerly, making her howl and writhe with abandon.

She protested when he pulled away his talented tongue, and replaced it with his erect cock. He nibbled on her earlobe, and whispered gruffly. "Show me how to please you."

The statement itself nearly made Mei climax. There was nothing sexier than a lover that was truly concerned about the satisfaction of his partner. She placed her hands on his hips, adjusting his penetration angle, and took one of his hands, placing it just where she wanted it. She taught him how to touch her, how to rub her in that particular way, and it was not long before she was breathlessly crying his name out. He came shortly after her, her muscles clenching around him and milking him for all his worth. He stayed inside her until they both regained their breaths and kissed her forehead before rolling off her.

"That was...good. Really good." He chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess we can't avoid a final third round to judge your skills." Mei said suggestively.

Sephiroth smirked and pulled her to his chest. "You make me feel really good, Mei." He said contently. "But I don't want to lead you on. I don't see myself in a relationship at the moment."

Mei glared at him. "This is something you tell a girl before you fuck her."

Sephiroth appeared baffled by her reaction. "I...I didn't really think...I'm sorry, I never meant to-"

"-I'm kidding." Mei snickered at his anxiety. "I'm fine with it."

It seemed like Sephiroth did not register her words. "I mean, with our hectic mission schedule we'll barely see each other, and I'll never be able to give you all the attention a guy should give his girlfriend, and I'm probably not going to abstain when I'm away for months so-"

"- Sephiroth, stop babbling. I agree with you." Mei stated firmly.

He quietened instantly and looked at her with disbelief. "We're not going to fight over it?"

"You wanna fight?" Mei straddled him and started punching his ribs, "I'll give you a fight!"

It took him a moment or two to overpower her, mainly because he was too relieved and delighted that Mei did not argue. The rolled in bed a few times until he managed to trap her underneath him, holding her wrists above her head. She turned her head to allow him more room when he kissed her neck, and suddenly Mei noticed his alarm clock.

"Shit! We have to get up in like 4 hours." Mei whined.

Sephiroth gave his clock a loathing glare. "Yeah, we better go to sleep."

"Help me find my underwear." Mei pushed him off, and looked around the room.

"Where are you going?" Sephiroth grabbed her by the waist, pulling her back to bed.

"Home?" Mei raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Why? Stay here." Sephiroth suggested, nuzzling into her neck.

"Ugh...I don't think it's a good idea. Do your other partners stay the night?" Mei inquired, trying to prove her point.

"No, because I don't even bring them to my apartment. It's entirely different." Sephiroth argued.

"Is it?" Mei sounded doubtful.

Sephiroth gave her a stern look. "Don't make it sound like it's only sex." And when Mei cocked a skeptic eyebrow he added. "It's not like that, at least not for me. I care for you and...I want to have you around as much as I can, in the little time we do have together."

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but you're just a mediocre fuck for me." Mei teased him, sticking her tongue out.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes at her, put on a hurtful expression, and turned his back to her. Mei shook his shoulder gently. "Ok, so you're my closest friend, and I think you're amazing and I like how you feel inside me."

Sephiroth allowed her to roll him over, and wrapped his hands around her waist. "You're my best friend." He kissed her forehead. "I think you're amazing." He kissed her cheek. "And I like how it feels to be inside you." He kissed her lips.

They kissed for awhile before falling asleep, Sephiroth spooning her protectively. She woke during the night, soaking wet and with him already inside her, penetrating her from behind and his hand working on her clit. Still on the thin line between sleep and consciousness, he brought her to a dreamy climax, before they both collapsed to sleep again. 


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: so, a huge delay due to "Type 2 error" on the website.  
I'm honestly thankful for the mishap, because I don't really feel like writing lately.  
I know how this story is going to end, and I only type it because I think it would be enjoyable for others.  
So yeah I'm a review whore and apparently I have no clients. **

**Chapter 18:**

Sephiroth and Mei ignored the alarm clock completely and overslept for a good two hours. Mei woke up in panic, realizing she was supposed to be in the office half an hour ago. She jumped out of bed and started gathering her clothes. Sephiroth lifted himself slightly, leaning on his elbows and watched her with amusement.

"Aren't you supposed to be somewhere?" Mei inquired, while clasping her bra.

"A management meeting. I would have slept through most of it anyway. "Sephiroth yawned, rolling out of bed lazily.

Mei took a moment to enjoy his naked body before she shuffled to the bathroom to relief her bladder and cringed at the stinging pain. Peeing was always torturous after having sex for the first time in a long while. Mei showed herself to the door, thinking that she had less than half an hour to get to her room, shower, change clothes and walk back to her office before someone would surely notice her absence. Sephiroth showed up beside her, wearing his black pants and a sleepy smile.

They stood at the door looking at each other, clueless. Sephiroth moved a stray curl from her face and leaned down to press a soft kiss to her lips. "Have a good day."

Mei snorted. "I'm so unbelievably sore, I doubt this day is going to be any good."

Sephiroth appeared genuinely worried. "I could heal it with Cure...I didn't mean to hurt you..."

Mei punched his shoulder playfully. "I can take a little bit of pain, even if I'm not SOLDIER."

Sephiroth seemed doubtful. "Are you sure?"

"Turk's honor!" Mei raised up three fingers.

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes at her. "There is no such thing."

Mei grinned wolfishly. She pulled him down to a one last passionate kiss and walked away. She could feel his eyes following her down the hallway. Mei managed to organize hurriedly, and slipped to her office unnoticed, drowning in a pile of paperwork. She diligently wrote her essay, discussing the pros and cons of different types of sniper rifles, when Vincent walked in.

"You were late today." He pointed, observing the mess on her desk.

"I slept in..." Mei dismissed him, taking a sip of her drink.

"Slept in someone else's bed." Vincent remarked wittily.

Mei stared at him calmly. "Would you like me to submit a report?"

Vincent chuckled dryly. "I'm sure Hojo will be interested."

Mei twisted her face in disgust. Horrifying visions flashed in her mind, of Sephiroth having sex with a random partner, while Hojo and his assistants watching through the glass and writing down comments.

"Second Class Fair looked for you earlier." Vincent informed her. "He thought you might be interested in watching cadet Strife's midterm exams."

"Did he tell you what time?" Mei inquired.

"The written tests already began, but his battle is scheduled to 14:00." Vincent replied informatively.

Mei felt torn. She had work to do in the office, but she really wanted to attend Cloud's swordsmanship exam. Mei bit her lower lip, conflicted. Tseng already postponed her deadlines once.

"You may go, but I expect you to put extra effort in the following days." Vincent said kindly. "I will deal with Tseng."

Mei fought the urge to hug him. "I really appreciate it."

Mei returned to her work with renewed vigor, and completed an impressive share of her tasks before she left for Cloud's test. Around twenty cadets were gathered at the training grounds, and a handful of SOLDIER officers came to watch them. While First Class Hewley was explaining them about the exam and the expected performance, Mei came to stand by Zack.

"Mei, I'm so glad you came!" Zack said gleefully, but Mei noticed he was a little nervous.

Mei greeted him, and the cadets began to simultaneously perform the Taolu Hewley named. It was a set of predetermined movements, and each cadet was judged by his execution of that form. Mei watched Cloud, who carried out the Taolu with confidence that was gained by long hours of practice, and with grace that distinguished the naturally gifted from the rest. Mei barely knew that advanced Taolu, and she glanced at Zack's face to judge how Cloud was doing.

Zack was nearing a nervous breakdown, but Cloud seemed to do well as Zack kept mumbling, "Yes...that's right...just like we practiced it...you got it..."

When the first part of the test ended, Zack let out a relieved sigh, and grinned smugly. The second part included a duel between the cadets, and they were allowed to consult their mentors before the battle. Cloud was making his way towards them. Mei did not see him for a while, and she could immediately tell he gained a serious amount of muscle, although he remained approximately her height.

"You did really good, Cloud." Zack patted his shoulder. "Who did you get?"

"I got Collins." Cloud replied weakly, motioning his head towards a massive cadet, who glared at him with a mean expression. Mei stared back at him with her evil eye, and he looked away.

"That kid is nasty," Zack told Mei. "His gang of rowdies are pretty rough on Cloud, but there is nothing I can do. The rule in SOLDIER is not to interfere in cadet bullying."

Cloud shrugged. "Makes sense, nobody is going to watch my ass on the battlefield."

"Wrong." Mei corrected him. "Your friends are going to watch your ass."

Zack nodded. "Collins is a big guy. He's pretty slow so you have a huge advantage on him."

"Tall fighters tend to leave their legs exposed. Go for his knees. When he kneels, he'll be just your height." Mei joked.

Cloud chuckled. "It's really good to have you here, Mei."

Mei smirked. "You better kick his ass."

Three pairs battled before Cloud and Collins, and while all the battles were good, Mei spotted on dark-haired boy who was exceptionally skilled. He fought like he was playing chess, thinking a few blows ahead and making small sacrifices to reach a check-mate. His style was very different than Cloud's, and it would have been interesting to see the two of them fight.

Collins stood before Cloud with an expression of utter disdain. He was strong but not toned, carrying some extra weight on him. When Collins manage to put his weight into the blow, Cloud was barely blocking it, stumbling a few steps backwards. Mei was beginning to worry when Cloud was too static, allowing Collins to fight in his comfort zone. But then Cloud changed phase, and began to move around Collins with frightening speed, forcing Collins to maneuver his heavy body. Cloud showered him with quick blows and stabs, hopping from one side to the other, and Collins was nearly harmless when out of balance. Cloud got a good hit at Collins hip, slowing him down ever more. Cloud blocked a vertical blow, and kicked the inner part of Collins' knee, causing him to drop to the ground. Hewley stopped the fight.

Zack was beaming. Mei cheered for him. Cloud had a glow in his eyes that was not related to Mako. Cloud received a bone-crushing hug from Zack, and a friendly punch from Mei. "I really really have to leave, I'm already late for the meeting." Zack said frantically. "I'll see you tonight,Cloud!"

"It was a pleasure watching you fight, Cloud." Mei complimented him and he smiled wildly. They continued to talk while Cloud did his stretching, and the training ground cleared from all audience. Except from Collins and his gang of douchebags.

"This ain't over, faggot." Collins yelled at him from afar. "You're gonna pay."

"Wanna come over here and say it to his face? Or you're too afraid his fist will reach your fat face?" Mei yelled back.

Taking the bait like the stupid assholes they were, the group walked towards them. Cloud looked at her nervously. "Your bitch has a dirty mouth, Cloudy." Collins said nastily, "I think I'm gonna fuck her mouth after I'm done with your pretty ass."

It happened in a flash. Mei kicked him in his injured knee, punched his stomach twice and sent another one straight to his diaphragm, causing him to bend over and lose his breath. Mei pulled his head down, and kneed his nose with every intention to break it. She threw him to the ground and kicked him a few times in the ribs, causing him to cry weakly. None of his so-called friends moved to help him.

Mei pulled his head up by his oily hair and shoved her gun into his mouth. His nose was indeed broken and dripping blood in a steady flow, getting her weapon and hands dirty. "Listen to me, you little cock-sucker. You mess with Cloud, you mess with his friends."

She lifted her eyes to glare at the other cadets. "If a bitch can wipe the floor with the toughest one of you, imagine what his SOLDIER friends can do to your miserable asses." With that she pulled her gun out of his mouth, and smashed his head into the ground.

"Let's go, Cloud. Kicking ass makes me hungry." Mei said, leaving the pathetic group to recover.

"That was so badass." Cloud remarked with awe, while they walked to the SOLDIER dining room, since Cloud was not allowed to enter the Turks facility. Mei shrugged, trying to clean the blood and saliva from her gun with Cloud's towel.

There was a loud commotion in the dining room, mainly Seconds getting really excited over something. When Mei reached for her plate, Kunsel appeared, in an ecstatic state. "You were so brutal! I loved it!"

"Huh?" Mei gaped at him dumbly.

"We were watching the exams," Kunsel explained, pointing on a flat screen TV, currently showing an empty training ground. "Cameras are still on."

"Absolutely sick performance, Mei." Cedric yelled to her from the other side of the room.

"Shame there was not sound, we didn't hear his nose break!" A Third Class commented, earning a few chuckles.

A SOLDIER officer she did not know high-fived her, and they kept discussing her moves and the damage done to Collins with disturbing enthusiasm. Mei always knew they were a bunch of barbaric pigs. Suddenly the room turned quiet and Mei turned her head to see the SOLDIER director entering the room. He was looking very formal and elegant with his fancy suit and glasses and it seemed like he was walking straight towards her.

"Intervening in cadet relations is forbidden by the SOLDIER policy." The director informed her curtly.

Mei crossed her arms over her chest. "SOLDIER policy does not apply to Turks."

"Casuistry isn't going to work here. You committed a severe offense." He said coldly, glaring at her behind his glasses.

"You can file a complaint to my boss." Mei said flatly. "If anyone is committing an offense, it's you. By overlooking cases of thuggery, you passively encourage it. A cadet is not worthy of becoming a SOLDIER before he learns the meaning of comradeship."

Voices of agreement were heard around them. "And who are you to lecture me?" He cocked a perfect blond eyebrow.

"Turk Mei-Xing Han, professional sniper, VIP protection expert and currently in charge of the Turks training program." Mei said condescendingly, with a sneer.

"So many titles for such a young girl." The director remarked acidly.

"Old enough to fight two wars." Mei retorted, giving him a disdainful glare. "I see no point in arguing over military training with someone who never set a foot on a battlefield. Wouldn't want your pretty white gloves to get dirty, right?" Mei spat venomously, and walked away, not bothering with his reply.

Mei returned to her office to work, and did relatively well, considering the stressful day she had. Her stomach was grumbling and protesting, since she stormed out of the dining room before she ate, and went straight to her office. Her PHS vibrated against the table, and she flipped it open with an annoyed expression. It morphed to a smile when she read Sephiroth's message.

'Stop terrorizing SOLDIER. The cadet is in the hospital and Lazard is weeping in his office.'

Mei replied. 'Exposure to your Mako-induced jizz makes me aggressive.'

'You can come over tonight and unleash all your pent up aggression on me ;)' Sephiroth suggested, and Mei could imagine his sly smirk.

The offer was incredibly tempting, but Mei had to refuse. 'Work overload. Tomorrow's my deadline for at least four reports I haven't even started. How about Wednesday?'

'Leaving for a mission tomorrow. I'll be back on the weekend.'

'Man zou, shuai ge :).' Mei wrote in Wutainese, showing some affection.

'See you soon, baobei.' Sephiroth spent enough time in Wutai to learn the basics of the language.

Mei stared at the small colorless screen of her PHS, rereading the messages. They were pretty cozy despite agreeing they were not in a relationship, and Mei was curious as to how it would develop. Sephiroth's usage of endearment terms was strange. Cute, definitely, but still weird. Mei never imagined him to be the type. When he called her 'baby', she dismissed it because things that were said during sex cannot be taken seriously. But 'baobei' was an endearment reserved to your loved ones, and it was not a term to use loosely by native speakers. Mei assumed Sephiroth did not understand the true meaning of that word, and translated it into something more casual.

The weekend arrived extremely fast. Mei put in additional hours as she promised to Vincent, leaving the office only once a day, for her physical training. She would get up extra early and go to the firing range to keep her sniper skills honed, and once she even went there after midnight, to practice night shooting.

It was Saturday night, and Mei was on the roof of Shinra's headquarters. A meteor shower was expected slightly before midnight, and Mei hoped Sephiroth would join her, but the last time she talked to him he was still on his way to Shinra. Mei opened a bottle of Corel-Cola and allowed herself to relax after a hectic week. She smiled when she heard the sound of the door opening behind her. Sephiroth dropped exhaustively near her, filthy and still in his combat attire, his face slightly sun-burnt. Mei handed him another bottle of Corel-Cola.

"You knew I would come." Sephiroth smiled.

"I was hoping you would." Mei admitted, and turned silent when the first meteors crossed the sky, painting it with blues, and greens and violets.

"Did you make a wish?" He said quietly, as if not to disturb the falling stars in their show.

"Yeah." Mei replied, hoping Sephiroth would not ask what wish did she make.

He did not ask, only nodded, and in that moment Mei realized just how much she liked him. Sephiroth showed interest in a way that was never overbearing or burdensome, and his curiosity never intruded her privacy. Sephiroth was an aloof person himself, and they both respected each other's discretion.

Since Sephiroth mostly initiated contact between them, Mei mustered her courage and moved closer to him. Even though they were alone, the roof was still a public place, and Mei did not risk any bold action that might reveal the true nature of their relations. It was true that some of their closest friends knew or suspected, but Mei assumed Sephiroth was reluctant to have all of Shinra and the press discussing his affairs.

Sephiroth smiled at her warmly, and Mei noticed his lips were dry and chapped. Being braver than she was, he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her even closer. Mei did not mind his dirty clothes, but he reeked of dead monsters. "You really need to shower." Mei cringed.

Sephiroth snickered. "What heartwarming welcome. I'm so happy I came to see you." He said sarcastically.

"I'm glad you came. Even if you smell like mass grave." Mei said teasingly.

Sephiroth did not let her taunting go unpunished. In a flash of motion he had her head in a lock underneath his armpit, not hurting her but putting enough force so she cannot escape. Mei tried hard not to breathe from her nose, but the stench was mind-blowing. "Merciful Gaia! This is an act against humanity, Sephiroth!"

"Not my first and not my last." He replied, amused.

He let her inhaled some of his arrestive body odor, before releasing her head and pulling her to his lap. Mei gave him an angry frown, which failed to discourage him, and he shamelessly pressed a kiss against her pouting lips. Mei kissed back lightly, alarmed at the concept of being intimate in public, and yet unable to break apart from him.

The meteor shower was over and Mei felt the exhaustion spreading, making her eyelids heavy. "Walk me to my place?" She asked innocently.

Sephiroth nodded, pulling both of them up, and they silently made their way to the Turks dormitories. Once again, the stood in front of her doors awkwardly, until Sephiroth took a step forward and kissed her. Mei could not protest as his tongue was in her mouth, and he was slowly backing her up against the door. She forgot about the rest of the world when he pressed himself against her, letting her feel just how much he wanted her after being apart for a few days. When she heard a door open beside them, Mei broke the kiss.

Reno was standing at his doorway, with a bin bag and a few bottles meant for recycling. His jaw dropped in shock, he stood paralyzed, as Mei stared at him wide-eyed, mortified. Sephiroth gave Reno a disregarding glance, and gently grabbed Mei's chin, turning her head to look at him. Completely ignoring Reno's presence, Sephiroth leaned down to kiss her, and his lips moved so persuasively against hers, that she had no choice but surrender to his coaxing. She heard Reno's door close shut.

"Do you want to come inside?" Mei suggested when they broke away for air.

"Yes, unless you want me to fuck you right here." Sephiroth replied huskily, biting her neck.

**Smut continues in the next chapter :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I'm really busy with my new position, and I kind of lost my muse.**

**Chapter 17:**

The message was clear and Mei quickly unlocked the door, and they stepped inside. She turned to look at him with a sly grin. "I want you to fuck me in the shower."

Sephiroth was happy to oblige. They were out of their clothes in seconds, and Mei took the liberty of scrubbing Sephiroth clean, lingering over his chest and backside much longer than truly needed. She knelt down, to wash his thighs and shins, her face on the same level as his groins, and Sephiroth watched her hungrily through hazy eyes. He allowed her to wash his hair, humming happily when she massaged his scalp, but the second the shampoo was out of his hair, he pressed her against the wall, attacking her mouth.

His hands were everywhere, and Mei honestly wondered if he had more than two. His lips moved to her neck, marking her, and his hand trailed down between her legs. Mei was soaking wet, and it had nothing to do with the shower. In a fluid motion he lifted her up, and she crossed her legs behind his back, hissing as he pushed inside her. Mei tried to relax her muscles and adjust to his size.

"You're ok?" He observed her with worry.

"Yeah, I just need a moment to adapt." Mei replied, and caressed his face, guiding him to another kiss.

Sephiroth waited until she was ready, and started moving slowly inside her, biting his lower lip. Soon enough he deserted the gentleness, and thrust into her with vigor, her back slamming into the shower wall with force that bruised her. Mei was far from complaining, he was rubbing her just right and the whole situation was so fucking sexy she could come merely from the thought. It was quick and hurried, but intense enough to bring the both of them release.

Sephiroth carefully lowered her to the ground, guiding them beneath under the hot water stream. Mei placed a kiss on his collarbone. "This scar is new."

"I was injured on Tuesday. We got ourselves into trouble because we were careless and arrogant." Sephiroth said self- critically.

"Still basking in the afterglow of the great victory in Wutai, huh?" Mei remarked cynically.

Sephiroth frowned at her. "Your sense of humor is twisted."

Mei turned the water off and throw a towel at him. "Do you want me to kiss your conscience better?"

"I suppose you can try." He smirked at her, pulling her closer for a kiss. They dried up and headed to bed, sliding under the covers and searching for each other. They lied facing each other, and Mei watched Sephiroth's face intently, her Turk mind overly active.

"You're not the type to act irresponsibly." Mei remarked, and gave him a doubtful look that meant she was not buying his version.

Sephiroth sighed. "You're such a Turk."

"You really don't have to talk about it." Mei said dismissively. "We can just have sex again."

This earned her a laugh. "What happened...I just tried not to think of it. I'm still not sure if I'm ready to deal with it." Sephiroth said vaguely. "It's just that Genesis has those...breakdowns...and it seems he lost his purpose. Sometimes I think he is not fit to be a part of SOLDIER. But then, it's Genesis and I can't imagine dismissing him."

"You care for him." Mei stated, smiling softly.

"Yeah, we have been friends for over a decade. We went to school together, we fought wars together, we even tried dating back then." Sephiroth said, sounding somewhat bitter.

"That explains a lot." Mei said dryly. "I thought he was going to duel me just because we were hanging out."

Sephiroth sniggered. "Genesis can be...territorial. He is completely driven by his ego. He spends every moment trying to prove that he is better than me."

"What a poor existence." Mei said disdainfully.

Sephiroth smirked and rolled on top of her. "What did you say earlier about having sex again?"

"Can't remember mentioning anything of the sort." Mei denied, poker-faced.

He ground his pelvis against hers, lowering his lips to her ear. "I want you."

Mei brought her lips to his, arching her back and pressing into him. Gaia, she wanted him too, and she let it show. She was surprised when he allowed her to roll them over, watching her with predatory eyes as she straddled him. Mei took advantage of his passiveness, running her hands over the body she appreciated from afar for such a long time. He was almost pliant beneath her, except for the very obvious hardness in his groins, and he did not interrupt her roaming, although Mei knew it must have been hard for him. Sephiroth was undeniably dominant, and notorious for being a control-freak, so obviously being docile was completely not in his nature.

It became crystal clear when he grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her down, bringing her ear to his lips. "Ride me." He said, and it was in no way a request.

Mei recognized a command when she heard one, and she was not going to resist. She carefully placed herself above him, and slowly impaled herself on his hard cock. The stretching was painful, she was already sore from before, and she gave Sephiroth a begging pout. Wordlessly, he placed his hands on her hips, and pulled her down while thrusting himself upwards inside her. Mei let out a small shriek, and concentrated on relaxing around him. When the discomfort subdued, she started moving on top of him, leaning forward to feel his skin against hers, and to kiss him deeply.

Unlike Sephiroth who was always target-oriented, working efficiently towards the goal, Mei preferred to take her time. She built a slow climax, and left both of them hanging just over the edge, and when Sephiroth tried to rush her, Mei immediately restrained him. Not that she could prevent him from taking what he wanted if he really insisted, he just did not put much into gaining his dominance. When they both came, Mei resisted the urge to scream, and a sensual mewl escaped her lips. It was a forceful orgasm that made them shiver moments later, and left them completely lost in a sweet, satisfying haze.

"You were holding back." Sephiroth mentioned, his eyes questioning her.

"Reno's bedroom is a thin wall apart from us." Mei replied, embarrassed.

Sephiroth laughed. "I'll Cast Silence next time. I like it when you're loud." He confessed, and Mei blushed.

"Do you have plans for tomorrow?" Sephiroth asked, when Mei placed her head on his chest.

Mei lifted her eyes to him and smirked. "I do."

Sephiroth wore his blank, dangerous expression. "I see."

"My plans included you, me and ...recreational activities." Mei twisted slightly, leaning her pointed his on his chest, and looking at him mischievously.

Sephiroth grinned back. "How fortunate that I have made the same plans."

Mei chuckled and planted a soft kiss to his collarbone, resting her head against him. Sephiroth lazily twirled one of her curls around his finger. "I'm leaving again in a few days."

"Who are we fighting this time?" Mei said bitterly.

"We had many loses in the higher ranking SOLDIER in Wutai, and promotion sessions is approaching. I need to visit all the SOLDIER bases, and interview all the promotion candidates." Sephiroth replied flatly.

"You sound thrilled." Mei remarked teasingly.

"I'm just... tired." Sephiroth admitted, moving to position himself better on the pillows. "I'm pushing 30, and I have been a military man since I'm 14. I'm the youngest general ever, won more battles than I can remember, and single-handed brought SOLDIER to the glorious status it has today. I feel..." Sephiroth trailed off.

"...Like there's nothing more to it?" Mei guessed, wondering how it feels to achieve everything you can ever dream of. She felt Sephiroth nod in confirmation. "What would you like to do?"

Sephiroth was silent for a while. "I...It sounds stupid. Hojo never allowed me to have a pet. I want my own farm, with lots of animals and...and.. that's the general idea." Sephiroth ended inarticulately, and Mei easily sensed there was something he was not comfortable revealing.

As usual Mei did not probe. "I think it's a wonderful idea." Mei commented, honest. "You're organized and hard-working by nature. You'd make a great farm owner."

Mei's head was resting just above Sephiroth's heart, and if writers and poets ever described a heart beating with happiness, they must have listened to his at that very moment. Mei smiled to herself, knowing that even though she was not the only one to enjoy Sephiroth's body, no one but her could touch his soul the way she did. It was more than she ever imagined she would have, and it was just enough to make her fall for him.

Mei woke up before Sephiroth, appreciating the relaxed expression that made him even more beautiful than usual. His nether regions, were, to say the least, far from relaxed. Mei smirked at the opportunity, and carefully pulled the blanket down, to reveal his erection, taking the time to examine it in the day light. It was graceful like the rest of him, and Mei wondered if it tasted just as good. From what she remembered from that bold move in Wutai, he was pretty delectable.

She gave the underside a ginger lick, glancing up to him. He was not yet awake, but his back was slightly arched, unknowingly asking for more. Mei was pleased to provide him with it. Carefully, she kissed the tip, and gave a few hesitant licks before taking him into her mouth. He moaned loudly, and instinctively yanked her hair hard, waking up with a start. Quickly estimating the situation, he released his grip on her hair, and laid back down calmly, smiling at her approvingly.

Mei positioned herself so he could have full view, and took him in as far as she could. She watched his breath hitch and said softly against his flesh. "Guide me."

Mei was not entirely inexperienced with blowjobs, but she never missed an opportunity to learn. Sephiroth took her hand in his, wrapping it around the base of his cock that she could not cover with her mouth, and showed her the exact amount of pressure and the preferable pace. She practiced what he showed her while taking him into her mouth, heeding his instructions about suction and the correct usage of her tongue.

Sephiroth, as he once mentioned, was a hard one to please, but Mei was doing alright if the noises he was making were any indication. She should have definitely recorded those low moans, and short pants and his husky dirty talking, and play it when she was alone, and Sephiroth was away. Mei kept calm when he pushed her head further down, and bucked his hips into her, making her gag slightly. Upon realizing what he did, he loosened his grip and mumbled an apology. Mei looked him straight in the eye while taking him as far as she could, her hands sliding beneath his backside and encouraging him to push up.

"Mei, I'm really close...You don't have to..." Sephiroth gasped, closing his eyes.

Mei pulled him out of her mouth, just to bark at him. "Shut up and give me what I want."

Sephiroth's eyes snapped open with shock, and he was more than willing to fulfill her demands. He thrust into her mouth, not violently but enough to make her eyes tear. Mei tried to relax her throat and closed her eyes to fight the tears. It was uncomfortable because it was new, but other than that it was simply amazing. He felt good in her mouth, and his leaking cock tasted deliciously saline, and above everything, was the panties-soaking thought that she was having so much control over Shinra's feared general.

He came with a throaty groan of her name and the hot liquid filled her mouth, nearly chocking her. But being a Turk taught her to remain calm in every situation, and Mei eagerly swallowed his cum, clearing her airways. She gave him one lingering suck before she took him out and wiped a bit of semen that dripped on her chin.

"Good morning." Mei smiled at him.

"Definitely a good morning." Sephiroth chuckled, and pulled her up for a kiss. He groaned in frustration when his PHS rang, and snatched it angrily wondering who the hell was calling him on Sunday morning. His frown melted when he saw Angeal's name on the screen. Mei rolled to the side, allowing him some privacy when he talked. Sephiroth grabbed her waist and pulled her right back to his chest with his free hand.

"Wanna go to the pool? Zack and Cloud would be there too." Sephiroth asked her. Mei agreed and Sephiroth exchanged a few more words with Angeal before hanging up.

Mei was confused. Sephiroth practically told Angeal he spent the night at her place, and Genesis already knew something at the ball. "Don't you mind that...people know who you are...associating with?"

"Normally, I keep the public out of my affairs." Sephiroth replied, watching her somewhat worriedly. "But Angeal is my friend. I usually tell him where I go when I'm unavailable for long hours, so he won't go looking for me in the labs."

"Oh." Mei uttered, and his explanation did sound logical.

"Are you uncomfortable with it?" Sephiroth inquired, and his body tensed. "I told only Genesis and Angeal."

"And Zack?" Mei asked, biting her lower lips.

"I didn't tell him, but if he isn't a complete moron, he must have figured it out already." Sephiroth remarked lightly. "Did you tell..."

"Vincent knows. I think he knew before we knew." Mei joked. "I have no one I would share something that intimate with."

"Your mother?" Sephiroth suggested.

Mei rose an eyebrow. "We're not even dating. I'm not going to write her about my sex partners."

"Not even if your partner is the great general Sephiroth?" He teased her, poking her side.

"Especially if my partner is the great general Sephiroth." Mei said darkly. "Unless you want her to somehow force us to visit Nibelheim, where she is going to interrogate you about your honorable intentions towards me, including marriage and children."

Sephiroth looked surprisingly less horrified by the prospect than he ought to be. Mei had to appreciate his composure and the stories about his unnatural poise in the cruelest battles made much more sense now. He appeared reflective, if anything. "I still have to figure it out myself, before I can provide her with answers."

Mei was puzzled. She had no idea what Sephiroth was figuring out, since things between them were pretty simple, and Mei did not think it would change soon. Their hectic lifestyles were not to be diminished, and both of them still wanted to achieve much in life as an individual. For now, they would take what they can from each other, be grateful for the limited time they had together, without planning too far. Mei's intentions towards Sephiroth were far from honorable and mainly included him naked and aroused.

Mei rolled out of bed, checking out Sephiroth, who was still in a contemplating mood. When Mei finished using the bathroom, Sephiroth was in the middle of dressing up, putting on his filthy combat clothes. He walked towards her when he was done, and tenderly cupped her cheek.

"I'll meet you in thirty minutes at the headquarters lobby?" Sephiroth did not really wait for an answer, he just kissed her passionately, and left her wanting more.

Mei stared after him when he went out the door, still caught in a lustful haze. She eventually snapped out of it, and took a quick shower, washing away the remains of last night's sex. Mei was unsure if she even possessed a swimming suit, and frantically roamed through her closet, to find a skimpy piece of fabric that she certainly did not buy. Mei put it on, slightly unnerved by the amount of skin showing, but she was going to the pool and not to a charity event. She pulled on shorts and a singlet, and headed to the meeting point.

And there was Sephiroth. Mei saw him naked, Mei saw him wearing a suit and tie, Mei saw him in his combat attire. But she never saw him so casual and she found herself gaping, and hoping she was not fucking drooling as well. With Blue swim trunks and a white v-neck that was tight enough to reveal the contours of his torso, Sephiroth was also wearing a very smug smirk. He had his long hair tied loosely in a ponytail, and he was wearing stylish sunglasses.

Sephiroth. Wearing. Sunglasses.

Why was is it so fucking hot?

Mei regained her wits before stepping into his field of vision, and he gave her a bright smile before heading to the pool. Angeal, Genesis, Zack and Cloud were already there, chatting lively. The first thing she noticed was Genesis' tight boxers, that were downright promiscuous, like the little whore that he was. He looked so good in it, Mei fought the urge to spank his ass when he passed by her.

After greeting each other and a small talk Mei hardly participated in, The Firsts and Zack started a match of volleyball, while Mei and Cloud settled on watching from the sidelines. Mei was into sports and friendly competition, but this time she absolutely preferred to watch.

Cloud got her a cherry icicle and they eyes were glued to the players as if they were bewitched. Every one of them had a different type of stunning physique, and Cloud and Mei busied themselves with rating said bodies. When Sephiroth took of his shirt, they had to recalculate everything though.

Genesis and Sephiroth played against Angeal and Zack, and Mei had an inner conflict about whom she should cheer. Naturally, she would support Sephiroth but Genesis was such a self-satisfied son of a bitch that she could not bring herself to boost him. Genesis had many reasons to be pleased with himself, and Mei admitted she understood why Sephiroth never denied him. He constantly wiggled his sexy ass in front of Sephiroth, and was touching him way more than he needed, and Mei was torn between feeling jealous and incredibly turned on.

Angeal and Zack lost by a thread, and Genesis was glowing with happiness. They walked towards Cloud and Mei, who lied lazily in the sun like cats. Genesis stopped in front of her, wrapping his hand around Sephiroth's waist, and observing her like she was a lab rat. Sephiroth seemed fine with the possessive gesture, and Mei decided she was above falling into pathetic traps such as this.

"So, how are you feeling about sharing Sephiroth?" Genesis asked her teasingly.

Mei lifted her sunglasses so Genesis would feel the full effect of her sneer. "I think there is enough of him for all of us."

Zack shrieked in laughter, Cloud's expression was a mixture of confusion and embarrassment, Angeal was visibly humored. Even Genesis snickered at her reply, and Sephiroth simply smiled at her with something that was not exactly pride but close enough. Mei took off her shorts and singlet, giving Genesis a run for his money in the "most scantly clad" competition. She jumped into the pool, and a second later she heard another splash of water.

"You look hot." Sephiroth wrapped his hands around her waist, pressing into her from behind. "And I hate the fact that half of Shinra is staring at you right now. You're mine."

"Really?" Mei turned to face him, ill-tempered. "The days when women were treated like property are long over. Welcome to modern society, Sephiroth."

He was about to reply when Mei continued. "Perhaps I'll take a page from Genesis' book and start wiggling my ass and humping every attractive man in a ten miles radius. That will teach you what's yours."

Sephiroth laughed, and pulled her closer to him when she tried to swim away. "I have a way to prevent it." Sephiroth said and he was looking eerily dangerous. "I'll just claim you now, when everyone is watching."

Before Mei managed to react, his lips were on hers, and his tongue fought to gain access to her mouth. Mei was paralyzed for a moment, and it was all Sephiroth needed to make this kiss irresistible. Realizing that she lost that battle, Mei surrendered to the kiss, letting her hands run down his sides. The thought that she was making out with Sephiroth in front of many Shinra employees was slightly damaging her pleasure.

"You play dirty." Mei glared at him when they pulled apart. "You can't kiss me in public when we're not even exclusive!"

Sephiroth cast his eyes down. "That was rather childish."

"More like selfish." Mei retorted, poking his chest. "You just made sure I will never in this life time get a date in Shinra. Even if I swear on my father's grave that I'm single, no one would take the risk of pissing you off!"

He rubbed his neck uncomfortably. "I didn't think it through." He admitted, shameful. "But I can't really apologize for scaring away possible suitors." He smiled guiltily.

Mei put on her blank expression and it was clear Sephiroth just got himself into serious trouble. "We're either together, or we're not. You can't have me all to yourself while you fuck around. Get your shit together, general." Mei huffed, and swam away from him, quickly drying herself with a towel and putting her clothes on.

Mei walked out of the swimming pool area, and into a small park, sitting under a tree and trying to calm her nerves. Sephiroth did not follow her, and it was a very wise choice, but someone else did.

"Did you come up with more snarly remarks, Genesis?" Mei said tiredly, not even lifting her eyes from the grass.

"No, Sephiroth is currently trying to drown himself in the pool, so I was curious." Genesis informed her neutrally.

"Why don't you ask him?" Mei asked with a sigh.

Genesis snorted. "I'll drown myself in the pool before talking to Sephiroth about his feelings."

"I'm not really up to a heart-to-heart conversation either." Mei remarked bitterly.

"Look, I know you care for him." Genesis stated, dropping to sit before her. "I care for him too, he's my friend since...forever, and I really can't stand him when he's depressed."

Mei chuckled darkly, a depressed Sephiroth was certain a tragic display. "He's acting like a pig. I'm fine with us not committing to each other, but he can't publicly claim me, like a dog pissing on his territory." Mei said, making Genesis snigger. "And he wasn't even remorseful for acting so fucking...medieval."

Genesis licked his lips, thoughtful. "Sephiroth has little understanding in relationships, and sometimes his ignorance comes off as offensive. For being Hojo's son, I think he's doing quite well."

"You're right." Mei admitted, pulling her legs to her chest and hugging them. "But my life is complicated enough without teaching Sephiroth how to be a proper boyfriend, or at least a civil human being."

"He stopped seeing nearly all of his former partners." Genesis revealed, giving her a hard stare. "He even rejects me most of the time." Genesis' wounded pride was heard, "What happened today was odd. Sephiroth never was the one for public displays of affection."

Genesis paused, watching Mei with his cool aqua eyes. "If you don't think he is worthy of your leniency...then you're the stupid bitch I initially thought you were."

With that harsh remark Genesis raised to his feet, and walked away, leaving Mei more confused than she was before.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: I feel somewhat guilty for taking so long between updates.**  
**But my students/cadets will be taking their finals next month and it's pretty hectic at the academy.**  
**More reviews, and I might take the extra effort of writing the next chapter sometime in this century :)**

**Chapter 20: **

Mei was having an inner struggle. And by struggle she meant something epic like a life or death match between Sephiroth and Genesis, or Zack fighting over the last desert. Sephiroth was leaving for an unknown period of time in one hour, and they have not yet reconciled since their argument in the pool. Mei did not want to part on bad terms, but then she just could not bring herself to talk to him.

Until now. Mei got up extra early to go see him on the landing strip. She just finished buttoning her shirt when she heard a knock on her door. Wondering who would visit her at 05:00, she pulled her pants on and opened up.

Sephiroth was standing outside, in full gear and with his backpack over his shoulder. He tried to speak but nothing came out and Mei took pity on him. "Come in and put your shit down."

He did as she told him, stepping inside and resting the backpack and the Masamune against the wall. Mei took a step forward and bravely, she was the first one to speak. "I was going to meet you at the landing strip. I didn't want you to leave when we're...ah...mad at each other."

Sephiroth seemed slightly relieved. "I'm sorry for acting like a possessive asshole."

"I'm sorry for snapping out at you." Mei said quietly, looking at Sephiroth and wondering how the hell she had been furious with someone as gorgeous as him. "I got something for you!"

Mei marched to her kitchen, grabbing a small bag, and then returned to the living room, handing it to Sephiroth. He took it gingerly, and peeked inside, grinning widely when he noticed the bag's content. He pulled Mei to a hug with his free hand.

"You're the best." He said happily.

Mei smiled at him, but her smile was marred with sadness. And perhaps anger directed to herself, for foolishly discarding the opportunity to spend the few last days with him. "I'm really going to miss you." She said shyly, blushing slightly.

Sephiroth pulled her closer, placing the bag on his backpack and embracing her with both arms. He sniffed her hair again. "I want you to promise me something."

Mei pulled slightly from his chest and looked at him curiously. "I want you to promise that you'll wait for me." Sephiroth requested, and his voice was shaky. "I want you to promise that you won't fall for anyone because I...I...Just don't fall in love with someone else."

Mei stared at him with utter confusion. "It's not like these things happen according to plan."

Sephiroth sighed deeply, and rested his forehead against hers. "I know. I also know that I have no right to make such request."

"No, you don't." Mei said harshly and Sephiroth slightly pulled away, seemingly hurt. "But in order to fall in love with someone else, first I'll have to fall out of love with you."

Mei buried her face in his chest in embarrassment, hearing his heart pounding inhumanly fast. He hugged her so tight it was almost painful, and she felt him kiss the top of her head. "Baby..." She heard him whisper, and this one word sounded so gentle, and so loving that he did not have to say another word. They kissed slowly, savoring every second, before Sephiroth had to leave.

"I'll walk you to the landing strip?" Mei offered coyly, and Sephiroth simply took her hand in his, and they walked out of the apartment together. The way to the landing strip never felt so short to Mei, and it seemed they arrived there within seconds. A bunch of SOLDIER officers were already there, and Sephiroth stopped in a safe distance, turning to face Mei.

"Take care, Sephiroth." Mei said softly, "I...I'll be waiting."

Sephiroth swallowed hard, and it was obvious he was struggling with the emotional moment. "I promise it would be worth it...Laopo."

Mei's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Sephiroth pressed a finger to her lips, shushing her reaction. "I know what it means." He gave her another kiss, tasting her one last time, before walking away.

Mei stared after him with bewilderment, his voice when he called her 'Laopo' replaying in her mind. It was an endearment term for a husband to call his wife, a lifelong partner. For someone who was struggling with emotions, Sephiroth surely managed to express such a variety of them with a single word.

Time progressed in strange ways when Sephiroth was away. Some days passed as if they were minutes, and others carried on forever, leaving her with a tragic amount of free time to miss him. Vincent soon noticed her sullen moods, and scheduled her on missions constantly, his wordless way of helping her coop. Zack also tried to ease her loneliness, mainly by asking her to join him and Cloud in their hangouts.

It was a pleasant evening, and Mei headed to Midgar, navigating to the address Zack gave her. He did not specify on the event, and only asked her to bring her appetite. Naturally, Mei agreed. Soon enough, the environment became familiar and she recognized it as the area in which Aerith lived in. Mei walked into the shabby building, and went up to the third floor, happy that she did not come empty-handed. She suspected Zack invited her to Aerith's place, but he was unwilling to talk about it, and Mei simply reached her own conclusions based on Zack's endless chatter about 'his girl'.

Cloud opened the door, and an intoxicating scent of grilled chicken hit her nostrils. Mei greeted him and stepped into the apartment, that was neat and well-equipped in a stark contradiction to the poor area. The interior design was very much like Aerith, laid back and spiritual. Low sofas, soft pouffes, a wall sized painting of the life-stream and many flowerpots.

Aerith came out from the kitchen, wearing a light pink apron and holding a steaming hot cauldron. She smiled prettily at Mei, her positive vibes filling the room, and Mei understood why Zack was so taken with her. Aerith carefully placed the heavy cauldron on the table, and Mei smelt potatoes and herbs. Mei handed her a fancy box of chocolates.

"You shouldn't have." Aerith took it with a little bow of her head, "I have to hide it from Zack."

Cloud joined them, carrying plates, and Mei helped him set the table. "We barely see you lately." He mentioned.

Mei shrugged. "Crazy mission schedule."

"You look tired." Cloud remarked, crossing his hands over his chest. "You shouldn't drown yourself in work just because...you know..he's away."

Mei cocked an eyebrow at him. "It has nothing to do with it."

Cloud snorted. "I'm not a child anymore, Mei." He claimed, giving her a fierce look that demonstrated the fact that he was turning into an impressive young man. "I have known you for a long time."

"What's your point?" Mei asked impatiently.

"I could be your friend, if you need one." Cloud said, losing a bit of his courage, slight blush on his cheeks. "I mean, soon I will take the SOLDIER exam, and then hopefully I could be your equal..."

"Cloud, you are already my equal." Mei stated, smiling at him affectionately.

"Then don't shut me out," Cloud requested, taking a step closer to her. "I worry for you and I hate being kept in the dark."

"What do you want to know?" Mei said with a sigh.

"How are you doing. For real."

Mei sat down in one of the chairs. "Work has been hectic, and honestly I'm exhausted. I don't even have the time to write a report between one mission and another, and when I come back I can't remember where I have been and what I did. Everything just blends into a blur."

Cloud frowned. "You miss him, don't you?"

"Terribly so." Mei confirmed.

Cloud placed his hand on her shoulder. "How about we take a vacation? After my SOLDIER exam, let's go home."

"To Nibelheim?" Mei questioned.

"Yes. Our families are waiting for us. I haven't been home for too many years, and I think it would be good for you as well." Cloud said, his eyes full with expectation.

Mei contemplated for a moment. "I think it's a wonderful idea."

Cloud beamed with happiness, just when Zack and Aerith carried the rest of the food to the table. The meal was relatively quiet, except for the chewing noises and Mei served herself a little bit of everything that was on the table. Grilled chicken, spicy potatoes, vegetable pie, meat stew and freshly baked bread. She did not have a decent meal in a long time, certainly not a home-cooked one, and she relished in every bite. For desert, Mei managed to shove in a slice of apple pie with vanilla ice cream, before she pushed away the plate and petted her rounded belly.

Aerith made tea and they all moved to the more comfortable seating area in the living room, Mei slouching over a soft pouffe, feeling more exhausted than ever. Zack apparently, had an endless appetite as he was still ravishing her chocolates.

"We should go on a double date, once Seph comes back." Zack remarked casually, looking at Mei, and Cloud nearly sprayed his tea all over.

Aerith was observing Mei closely. "I'm not dating him, so I don't see how it's going to work."

"So why did he eat your face in the pool?" Zack inquired, making Cloud blush and Aerith only seemed more fascinated.

"Ask him." Mei shrugged.

"I'm not suicidal." Zack laughed. "I know there's something going on between the two of you."

"Hence the phrase 'between the two of us'. It has nothing to do with you, Zack." Mei huffed.

"Come on, Seph has no qualms about sharing with his friends. I personally eavesdropped while he was moping to Angeal about you." Zack argued, "We are your friends."

Mei sighed in defeat. "There really isn't much to share. With our lifestyles we can't maintain a normal relationship. We see each other when we can."

"So you're not exclusive?" Cloud smirked.

"No, Cloud. You still have a chance to fuck your idol." Mei teased back, grinning.

"Makes sense, Seph usually fucks like a rabbit." Zack commented, making Aerith turn her gaze sharply to him.

"And how would you know?" Aerith arched a perfect eyebrow at him.

"He has SOLDIER officers as his regular partners. One of them is my friend." Zack explained. "Although Seph stopped seeing him lately."

"Because Mei is wearing him out!" Cloud shrieked with laughter.

"Milking him dry!" Zack purred.

"Can we change the subject?" Mei growled.

Zack and Mei snickered at Mei's obvious discomfort, and considerately changed the subject to Cloud's upcoming SOLDIER exam. Mei soon found herself in the kitchen, helping Aerith clean up their mess. Mei washed the dishes while Aerith hummed softly and dried them up, storing them in place. Mei realized how lonely she was, if she was immensely enjoying doing chores since she had a companion. They were mostly silent, overhearing the loud discussions of Cloud and Zack until Aerith gentle voice was heard. It took Mei a moment to realize the question was addressed to her.

"Do you love him?"

Mei nearly dropped the plate she was holding into the sink. "I...I might."

Aerith sighed heavily. "You can't save him."

Mei opened her mouth to protest by Aerith silenced her. "They will break him eventually." Aerith paused, giving Mei a meaningful stare. "For Zack and Cloud's sake, I ask you to save yourself before it will be too late."

"What? What does it mean?" Mei watched Aerith with confusion.

"When it happens you will know." Aerith replied cryptically, and placed the tea cups in the upper shelf.

Is she a relative of Vincent, Mei grudgingly thought to herself. "And what I'm supposed to do now?"

Aerith looked at her pitifully. "I'm sure you have been told that getting involved with Sephiroth is dangerous." Mei rolled her eyes at that, "The best thing would be to distance yourself from him. But I know it's impossible to go against your heart."

"Enjoy the time you have with him." Aerith advised her, "Sephiroth is an abomination to Gaia, a _corpus alienum_ in the life stream. He is a source of constant instability and by the forces of nature, he is doomed to...collapse."

"How do you know all of that?" Mei inquired, sounding more broken than curious.

Aerith glance to the living room where Cloud and Zack were still having a very vocal argument. "Tseng must have told you what I am." Mei confirmed with a nod. "I can sense the life stream, gather pieces of information. Emotions, flashes of memories, some of the things I have no words to describe. There is no equivalent for this in human communication."

Mei felt like a miserable piece of shit. Why did she have to be caught in the middle of all this universal mambo-jumbo, surrounded by greedy politicos, mad scientists and freaky ecological hippies who can speak to planets? It was so frustrating and depressing to know that despite her infamous Turk skills, Mei was still helpless against all of them, and that one way or another, Sephiroth would fall victim to their schemes. Mei never failed to protect a VIP before.

Through all of the despair and bitterness, a wave of warmth swept over her, and Mei realized Aerith was hugging her. Awkwardly, Mei hugged back, and it did feel unbelievably comforting. It was more numbness than comfort, Mei concluded, as if Aerith managed to dull her angst. The rest of the evening passed with unnatural serenity, and Mei felt that not only her emotions were subdued, but her sense were blunted as well. Cloud and Zack's voices sounded like they traveled from afar, and Mei was strangely disconnected from the whole situation.

When Mei parted from them to go home, Aerith gave her a reassuring smile and promised her that 'She will get better soon'.

And she did. The next morning the emotional lethargy disappeared, and Mei returned to herself with one minor change – she did not dawdle in thoughts of Sephiroth. It was as if she had a mental block that did not allow her to bask in sadness about his absence, and Mei was certain it was somehow Aerith's doing. Enraged that Aerith dared to temper with her mind and heart, Mei was also grateful for the intervention, although she would never admit it.

The big day arrived, and Vincent already authorized her vacation. If anything, he appeared to be extremely relieved by her request and was almost eager to grant it. Mei was so excited, she was actually unfocused when Sephiroth called her.

"Mei, am I boring you with my stories?" Sephiroth asked with the slightest hint of hurt. "I know my days aren't exactly thrilling right now."

"No, no." Mei hurried to contradict him. "I'm sorry for being inattentive. Today is Cloud's SOLDIER exam so I'm quite distracted."

"Oh, you can tell him that I wish him luck, he would make a fine SOLDIER." Sephiroth said, and Mei could hear relief in his voice.

Mei laughed. "It would only make him more nervous, I think. He was vomiting yesterday from stress."

She could imagine Sephiroth cringe. "But you were there to comfort him." Sephiroth remarked bitterly.

"I wasn't." Mei replied, rolling her eyes at his unreasonable jealousy. "I was finishing up my paperwork for the next week. I'm taking a vacation."

"Really? Where are you going?" Sephiroth inquired.

"Home. The moment Cloud finishes his exam, we both head to Nibelheim." Mei answered, and saying it aloud made her feel happy. Which was terribly inconsiderate since Sephiroth was surely sick and tired of being away for so long. "Do you still have the Mars I gave you?"

"A few last ones." Sephiroth said wistfully. "They make me think of you every day. A brilliant move on your side, but also a cruel one."

Mei chuckled. "It does seem like a Turk trap, but I intended for it to make you happy, at least in the millisecond it takes you to devour it."

There was a silence on his part, and Mei listening to him breathing deeply. "I miss you."

"I miss you, too." Mei confessed. "I've been so lonely I even agreed to come to dinner in Aerith's place. You know, Zack's hippie girlfriend. I even let her hug me. How low have I sunken?"

Sephiroth laughed at that, and it was wonderful to hear it. "I go to watch the infantry snipers practice in the fire range. It reminds me of you."

"Really?" Mei was torn between laughing and melting at the cheesiness.

"I used to watch you when you trained in the Shinra facility." Sephiroth admitted.

A snort escaped her. "You're a sick stalker freak, Sephiroth, and I find it flattering in a very twisted way." Mei said with a wide grin.

"I'll show you how much of a freak I really am when I'm back." Sephiroth promised her, and Mei blushed with arousal.

"How long till you're done?" Mei asked expectantly.

"Not sure. We're leaving the North continent tomorrow, heading south. I still have Wutai, the Cosmo area, north Corell, Rocket Town...probably Gold Saucer too. I'd say a month, at least." Sephiroth said miserably.

Mei glanced at the clock, Cloud's practical exams were about to start. "I really have to go now. But I want you to know that I'm still waiting...for you."

Mei wondered if it made him smile. "I sincerely appreciate it. It means more to me than I can express in words...I'm quite limited in my ability to verbalize my feelings." Sephiroth said apologetically.

"Fortunately you're quite skilled in other areas." Mei joked. "Hang on there, shuai ge."

"Goodbye, baobei." Sephiroth returned the affectionate greeting before hanging up.

Mei made her way to the training grounds, her heart beating loudly as if she was the one taking the test. She was so occupied with excitement that she barely noticed someone joining her.

"Are you attending Cloud's exam?" A pleasantly deep voice was heard to her left.

Mei snapped her eyes to the source of the noise, First Class Angeal Hewley. "I am."

Mei could tell there was something he wanted to say but was hesitant. Mei directed her Turk skills to Angeal noticing something was essentially wrong with him, although she could not point it out. Angeal was quiet and introverted as always, but something was off. "Do you...talk to Sephiroth?"

"Yes, I just did." Mei replied, unsure of what to make of his question. "Why do you ask?"

"Sephiroth has been distant lately. More so towards Genesis than to me, but he is still less communicative than he used to be, and that was never much." Angeal confessed worriedly.

"I know Sephiroth had some issues with Genesis." Mei said vaguely, and Angeal nodded, clearly familiar with the subject. "As for you, I think it's his way of dealing with being apart. Not to think about what he misses. The three of you were always departed together, right?"

"True. I stayed back this time because of the SOLDIER exam." Angeal confirmed.

Mei smiled at him gently. "Maybe you should pay him a visit after the exam is over. He sounds really down since a week ago, and if he's shunning Genesis, I'm certain he could use your company right now."

Angeal considered her offer for a moment. "I will take your advice."

Angeal granted her a formal nod before they parted, Mei walked to accompany a frantic Zack while Angeal headed to brief the cadets. The test structure was nearly identical to the midterm, although the Taolu were harder, the battles were fought against Second Class officers and included Materia use.

The moment Mei noticed Cloud, she knew she had absolutely nothing to worry about. It was obvious in the way he stood proud, the way he carried himself with grace and in his strong aura of confidence, that Cloud had changed.

Grew up.

Became a man.

And a man who knew his worth.

In Zack's words, Cloud's performance was 'absolutely fucking flawless', and for once he was not exaggerating. Cloud practically mastered the Taolu, and the poor Second Class SOLDIER did not even realize what hit him when Cloud unleashed his full abilities. The officer should have thanked Gaia for his Mako injections and the additional power and speed that it granted, or otherwise the medical ward would have sutured him back together like a ragdoll. Cloud demonstrated Materia use skills that Mei could only dream of, but the genuine pride she felt while watching Cloud perform easily surpassed her own bitterness.

The results were announched a week afterwards, but with Cloud's perfect execution and the thumbs up Angeal gave her at the end, Mei was certain he passed. After a few moments of hysterical, high-pitched cheers and sweaty hugs between Zack and Cloud, Mei intervined.

"You have thirty minutes to pack your shit, Cloud. I told mom we'd be there by tomorrow morning."

Cloud gaped at her for a moment. Normally they would have to catch a bus to the port, then take a shitty ferry to Costa Del Sol, a train to north Corell and at least two buses until Nibelheim. "How?"

Mei waved a pair of car keys in his face. "Vincent gave me his car. It has a reserved place on the next Shinra Cargo ship, that leaves in two hours."

Cloud took a second to process the information. Then he bolted towards the barracks. Zack and Mei smiled, escorting him with their eyes.


End file.
